


Astray

by whenyoudesertme (phrenk)



Series: Astray [1]
Category: Arashi (Band), Japanese Actor RPF, Johnny's Entertainment, Kimi wa Pet | Tramps Like Us
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-15
Updated: 2012-03-15
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:41:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phrenk/pseuds/whenyoudesertme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't want a roommate, Ohno-san, I want a pet. Would you be all right with that, having no rights and having to obey everything I say?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Posted [here](http://je-whiteday.livejournal.com/52297.html) for White Day 2012, written for astrangerenters. ♥ Kino: thank you so much for beta-reading! ♥ Top: thank you for everything, flkjdsjlsfkdj. ♥♥ This fic would not exist without you, top!! ADDITIONALLY: TOP MADE ART, AS IF THIS REALLY IS A BIG BANG AND SHE IS MY ARTIST. It's _beautiful_. There is one for each post, linked at the bottom. ♥ Cross-posted [here](http://whenyoudesertme.livejournal.com/26682.html).

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The sunshine was warm on Shihori's face as she clicked down the sidewalk in her expensive heels. Someday she'd be the boss and wear comfortable flats to work every day, but at just over five feet with a room full of tall, frequently condescending men, she wasn't about to give up the advantage of a few extra inches.

She did like the sound they made on the pavement. She felt poised and put together in her business suit with her hair pulled back neatly, and it didn't hurt that it was a beautiful day. Even the graffiti on the buildings seemed grander today, full of vivid colors and arresting shapes, and she hoped that it would be a while before the art was inevitably painted over.

It was finally the day when she'd get her due, after years of fighting her way to the top of the News & Current Events division of _On the Dot Japan_ , and Shihori felt invincible.

Half an hour later, she was staring at her boss and trying to conceal her loathing.

"I'm sorry, Kanjiya-san. Your qualifications are impeccable, but we feel that Takada-kun is just a better fit."

She focused on his nostrils, wishing she could shove his stapler up them through the force of her mind. He seemed ill at ease, as he deserved, and continued babbling.

"Takada is just--you know, a lot of the guys just feel more... well, they see more of themselves in Takada, so it won't be as hard to take orders from him. You wouldn't want your subordinates to be uncomfortable, I know, Kanjiya-san."

Shihori wanted to kick and scream, or quit, or all of the above, but she liked her job, she wanted to be in this business, and she had to work with these people. To be more accurate, she had to work with these sexist assholes. She stood, nodding tightly, but Yoshida waved her back into her seat.

"We do have a very exciting position in mind for you, Kanjiya-san, even better than assistant director here."

The chair squeaked loudly as Shihori straightened up expectantly.

"We've decided to transfer you to the Entertainment & Style section. Congratulations."

The Style section. Shihori nearly threw her uncomfortable shoes at Yoshida's face.

  
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"Shii-chan, it won't be so bad. At least you don't have to work with those tools anymore." Karina's calm face and reassuring tone just made Shihori feel worse, like she was overreacting when really, she deserved to go a little ballistic.

"Yeah, and in Style you won't be as busy, surely, and after all this time, you could really use some _free time_ ," Yuriko added, winking to introduce innuendo where none needed to be.

Shihori rolled her eyes. "No matter what Yoshida-san said, not all of those guys have a problem with me. But it doesn't matter, because the higher-ups can't imagine a woman in charge of News."

"Don't think I didn't notice you didn't address my argument," Yuriko said, wagging her finger at Shihori before downing her mixed drink in one go.

"Not everyone is on the prowl for a man," Karina said mildly, and Yuriko laughed, face squishing adorably in contrast to her ruler-straight hair.

"If Shii-chan's ever on the prowl for a man, the men are in trouble. I've never met anyone with such high standards."

Shihori protested, "They're not unreasonable! He just has to be tall, handsome, and make more money than I do."

"And he has to have nice arms," Karina added slyly. Her wavy hair brushed the table as she teasingly feigned a body-builder pose.

"And didn't you say he should have visited at least twenty countries?"

Shihori glared at Yuriko, just waiting for the inevitable.

"Really, we all know that when you describe the man you want, you're really talking about your Aiba-senpai," Yuriko finished.

Karina raised her hand and called, "Another round here, please!"

"None of this is the point at all! I deserved that promotion, and instead, tomorrow I'll show up at Style, ready to be picked over by those fashion vultures."

Karina laughed, low-pitched and amused. "We're not so bad. At least you're not heading anywhere near Advertising, I hear those fuckers will steal a client if you turn around to get a cup of coffee."

Yuriko, seasoned cog in the advertising section, nodded in complete agreement. "I've taken to drinking juice."

It was the kind of comment that would earn Yuriko affectionately bemused stares if they hadn't been drinking, but as it was they all laughed, not paying any attention to the judgmental stares of the people around them who probably didn't think three ladies should be getting drunk in public.

When their fourth round of drinks had arrived, Karina shrugged, apropos of nothing. "If you don't want a boyfriend, how about a roommate? You have a spare bedroom, and I know you get lonely sometimes."

"I do not," Shihori said indignantly. "I am perfectly content with my life. Or I was, until Yoshida-san decided to crush my dreams between his pasty, clammy palms."

"Cheers!"

Karina looked levelly at Shihori. "I think I'll take my own lush of a roommate on home now." She tossed back her drink and stood smoothly, and Shihori spared a tipsy thought to marvel at how cool Karina was.

Taking a gulp of her own drink, she resolved that tomorrow she'd start working herself back up the ladder and get back in control of her own life.

  


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After griping to her best friend Keiko on the phone all the way there, Shihori continued griping while grabbing some snacks in the convenience store. Being passed over for a twit demanded something salty. She'd just gotten to the part where she was starting to think that maybe she did want a roommate, though she wasn't ready to admit that to Karina or Yuriko, when she ended the call up at the front and was disappointed not to see her favorite clerk.

Instead she got the small, tanned one, the one who needed reminding every time to give her credit card back. His sleepy eyes and round cheeks were sweet, but Shihori wasn't the most patient person and she tended to snap. The sleepy clerk never seemed to mind, though, and Shihori couldn't help smiling at him when she saw that he was swaying side to side while staring at her, clearly forcing himself to be awake enough to complete her transaction.

She rooted silently for him to remember to give her card back this time. He bagged her items, ran her card, and pushed the bag back over. She waited, trying not to make a caustic remark, and he smiled.

"If you need a roommate, I know someone who is looking."

Shihori blinked, not sure she'd ever heard this particular clerk speak before, at least above a mumble.

He looked sheepish. "I couldn't help hearing you on the phone, and if you're really interested in renting your second bedroom, um, like you said, then--"

"Yes," Shihori interrupted, feeling herself flush. Had she really been complaining that loudly? "I'm interested."

"Could I come see your place?" the clerk asked guilelessly. She squinted at him suspiciously, taking in his name-tag in case she needed to report his perverted behavior to his superior.

"Ohno-san, I don't know what you're trying to do, but I--

"Oh, no, I just, I know someone who is looking for a place to stay, that's all." His dark eyes radiated sincerity, and somehow Shihori believed him. Maybe it was how he had a grain of rice clinging to the side of his nose. It made her feel strangely maternal.

Instead of showing that, she said briskly, "When is good for you?"

His eyes crinkled up, and he turned to call to the back, "Maru-chan, I'm heading out."

He slid her credit card back over the counter, and she forgot to thank him, just slid it back into her wallet.

When Maruyama emerged from the storeroom, Shihori stopped herself before she sighed dreamily. He was tall, he was handsome, and he was funny. She had to think which one of her friends could see past the convenience stork clerk part and appreciate the sweetest guy on the planet.

"Are you coming?"

Shihori turned, blushing, to see that Ohno was holding the door open for her. She marched out, trying not to topple on her heels just when she wanted to be dignified.

  


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Shihori was glad she lived close by, because Ohno was not inclined to small talk. She'd introduced herself, but he knew her name from her credit card, and when she started asking him about his friend, he was so unencouraging that she gave up.

In the elevator on the way up to her floor, the reflection in the door let her know that with her heels on, she and Ohno were nearly the same height. His jeans and uniform shirt made her feel very grown-up and professional, and she caught herself wanting to poke a finger at the softest part of his cheek.

As soon as she kicked off her shoes in her entryway, though, she felt smaller and more vulnerable, and as unimposing as Ohno seemed, she remembered that she didn't really know him at all.

This was her home, though, a place she worked hard to afford and in which she was the only authority. After a day where she'd been made to feel inconsequential and silly, she stood up straight when showing Ohno around her small domain, and if she was a little imperious, he didn't seem to care.

Finally she showed him her spare room, empty but for a folded futon, and he looked at the walls, the floor, and the windows with far more interest than she thought they merited.

"What kind of light does this room get, Kanjiya-san?" He was standing by one of the two windows as if he could make it daytime just by concentrating on the view.

"It gets good light in the early afternoon. My bedroom's just on the other side of this wall."

He turned to her at that, focusing on her like he'd forgotten--something, she wasn't sure what. Something in his look made her suspect, and she asked, "Who exactly are you looking at this room for?"

He scratched the back of his neck, looking away. "Ah. Well, me, actually."

Shihori remembered that she didn't really want a roommate after all. People could be so irksome, and if she only had this one place of her own, she wasn't going to compromise.

She bowed with scornful politeness and said, "Allow me to show you the way out, Ohno-san."

His shoulders slumped, but he didn't argue. She couldn't get too mad if he was going to be so obedient about the whole thing. After she closed the door behind him, she began considering that maybe what she really wanted was a pet.

  


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The only bright spot of Shihori's first day in the style section was Karina being there, though since they were the two superiors under the head director of Entertainment & Style, they wouldn't be working together. Karina was in charge of producing the segments that got into the actual show, focusing on entertainment, and Shihori was heading the team that produced online content, usually style.

She'd shown up only to be greeted by two resentful new underlings, a stack of work she wasn't interested in, and so many disdainful looks at her clothes that she thought tomorrow she might as well go in naked.

She left the office building at eight pm, glad she'd thought to bring an umbrella because it was pouring. She skipped the convenience store, feeling a little sick at the thought of how many chips she'd eaten the night before, and walked straight home. If her shoes were ruined by puddles, maybe they'd magically be more stylish, because the expressions of her coworkers indicated they couldn't get any less.

Style news hooks that wouldn't bore her to tears were running through her mind as she reached her building, absorbing so much of her attention that she nearly didn't see the box.

She tilted her head, confused to see such a large item left unattended in the rain. As if it could feel her attention, it seemed to twitch slightly on the sidewalk. Before she could talk herself out of it, Shihori stepped forward and lightly kicked the box. She heard a pathetic moan, and forgetting her fear, she dropped down, still holding her umbrella, and opened the top.

Inside was a person, and for a moment, despite the sound and movement, Shihori thought he was dead. His face was cut and bruised, but what really alarmed her was the haphazard jumbling of the man's limbs inside the box, like he'd been tossed in and left to die. Shihori reached her hand in and trailed a finger along the unhurt cheek, only then realizing that this was someone she knew.

It was the sleepy clerk from the convenience store, Ohno. She gasped and stood, digging out her phone, then saw Ohno flinch as the rain poured down into his makeshift shelter. She leaned back toward the box so that her umbrella at least sheltered his face, and when he peered up at her, eyes focusing like he recognized her, she put her phone away.

It was the work of several minutes and a lot of cursing, but she dragged the box through the lobby and into the elevator. She kept up a hushed monologue the whole way, mostly complaining about being tired and soaked and the way the cardboard wanted to rip, and whenever she looked down, Ohno was looking back up at her.

Part of her thought that if she stopped talking, he wouldn't be all right.

In the elevator, Ohno managed to sit up, and Shihori shooed him back down, saying, "My landlord does not need to be apprised of this situation, Ohno-san." He sank back down, whimpering, and she wondered what injuries he had that she couldn't see. If he couldn't stand up when they got into her place, she was going to call an ambulance.

Once she got the box inside the door, he did stand up, and even managed to toe off his ratty sneakers, but then he slumped and started to fall. Shihori caught him, letting out a winded _oomph_ at the impact, and tried to steer him toward her living room while kicking off her shoes.

They ended up tangled on the floor, Shihori landing mostly on Ohno, a mess of wet clothes and flailing limbs. He was cold and wet and making awful wheezes of hurt, and she scrambled off of him and ran for her first-aid kit, grabbing her biggest, fluffiest towel along the way.

When she got back, he hadn't moved, and she nudged him with her foot. "Take off your shirt and wrap up in this." She turned away as he complied, wondering if she should be more bold so that she could check him for more wounds, but then he made a soft noise that had her turning back. He was covered, drowning in the luxurious towel with just his head peeking out. It made him look small and helpless, like a round-cheeked baby animal, and Shihori felt her heart lurch.

She cleared her throat. "Let's get you to the bathroom."

In the hallway, she bent down to take off his socks and roll up his pant-legs, and he neither protested nor helped. She slid her own feet into a pair of flip-flops, then pulled him in and directed him to perch on her shower stool, tilting his head back so she could rinse out the worst of the cuts, the one above his eye.

Ohno was still under her ministrations, face pulled tightly into itself like he was trying not to make a sound. Shihori worked as quickly as she could, angling his face toward the light to see if she needed to clean the wound further, then went for another towel to pat his face dry so she could bandage him up.

She applied a butterfly bandage over his eye, then covered the worst of the scrapes on his cheek with a large adhesive bandage. She nearly gave in to the impulse to poke his other cheek right then, but restrained herself, because he still seemed dazed.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

He poked one arm out of the towel, which lifted to expose a few inches of his side. That skin, which she'd expected to be pale, was almost as dark as his arms. Then all she could see were the scrapes on his wrist and hand, and the way he let it hang there like holding it up would hurt too much.

"All right," she said to herself.

She rinsed Ohno's hand, trying not to hurt him, then led him out to her couch, prudently lying another towel down on it first. She wrapped his wrist tightly, trying to ooze competence when she really hadn't done anything like this since helping the athletic trainer out in high school, then patted him lightly on his knee. He was looking at her again, she noticed. Since she'd gotten him in her door, she'd been wondering at herself, wondering why she hadn't just called someone instead of taking an injured stranger into her home, but now she wondered about it from his side. He'd let her drag him inside, manhandle him this way and that, and now he was looking at her like even though she'd stopped treating his injuries, he was still entirely in her hands.

Shihori didn't quite know what to do with that. Instead she asked, "What happened?"

He chuckled, which had her worrying a little less about a head injury. "It took you a long time to ask."

"I was busy. Answer the question."

He leaned back on her couch, tucking himself tightly into the nook between back, arm, and cushion, abruptly looking like he was comfortably at home. Shihori nearly kicked him out right then, but she was too curious to know just why he'd ended up in the box.

Ohno yawned. "Can I stay here?"

Shihori's mouth dropped open. He didn't even ask for just the night! Curiosity lost the battle, and she ordered, "Out of my apartment." She pulled at Ohno's uninjured arm, but it was a hard to get a grip when he was swaddled in terry-cloth, and the little weasel clung to the couch.

She burst out, "Don't you have any pride at all?"

Ohno shook his head, still holding defensively onto the upholstery. "You said you wanted a roommate, and I don't have anywhere to stay."

"Get out." Shihori resorted to tickling his feet, and Ohno jumped and squawked but didn't relinquish his grip.

"Kanjiya-san, please," he whined, and Shihori had never been less attracted to anyone in her life. She decided to put an end to this.

"I don't want a roommate, Ohno-san, I want a pet. So there is that vacancy, but would you be all right with that, having no rights and having to obey everything I say?"

She sat back on her heels, pleased to be getting rid of him at last. His grip loosened on the couch as he stared at her, face blank. Then his lips curled up slightly.

"I accept." He dropped to his knees beside her, suddenly much too close, and Shihori scrambled to her feet, trying to stay on top of the situation.

Ohno was kneeling, feet tucked under himself, and looking up at her with what suddenly looked like devotion. He brought a hand up, fingers curled in as if it were a paw, and said, "Woof."

Shihori reeled, staring down at the man at her feet, heart twinging again at his endearing behavior even as her mind revolted. "The answer isn't woof!"

He tilted his head curiously, then uncurled his fingers as if he meant to scratch her. "Meow?"

Despite herself, Shihori's hand drifted down, nearly brushing Ohno's damp hair. He leaned toward it, clearly asking to be petted, and she snatched her hand away.

"You can sleep on the couch. We'll talk in the morning."

Surely by then she wouldn't be wavering on whether to take him up on this daft idea.

  
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In the morning, everything seemed clear to Shihori. She'd get rid of Ohno and continue on with her life as planned.

She walked into the living room to toss him out, but when she caught sight of him, she wavered harder than ever.

He was curled up on the couch, hair spiking every which way, and his face was pressed against his arm in such a way that his cheek pooched out over it like he was a little kid. When she saw that his legs were twitching, like a dog dreaming of a chasing a rabbit, she gave up.

It was likely that when Ohno woke up, he wouldn't want to stay as her pet.

If he did, she wasn't going to make him leave. With that settled, Shihori went to make breakfast.

  
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For someone she'd had good reason to believe was taciturn, Ohno was positively chatty at breakfast. She was waiting for him to take back his acceptance of being a pet, or for him to tell her he still wanted to stay as one, but he did neither.

He exclaimed about the food, which he said was delicious. He said, prompted by nothing, that he was glad his shirt was dry. He mumbled, mouth full, about the morning light coming in her windows, that it sure was different high up where neighboring buildings didn't block the sun. Once, he sat back in his chair, looking utterly content, and told her quite seriously that her apartment was the _perfect_ temperature.

Shihori poked at her food and waited, getting simultaneously grumpy (because she wanted things to be settled either way) and comfortable with him (because he was just so charmingly aimless in everything he did).

When he finally finished eating, he just sat there, satisfied, looking at his fingernails.

Shihori pushed back from the table, and Ohno's eyes shot to her. It seemed that some of his placidity had been put on, because now she could see that he had a nervous sort of tension, just barely there, hidden under lazy contentment.

This gave her the courage to say, "Ohno-san, I'll take you as my pet."

His eyes widened, then his arms shot up, and he was doing a ridiculous victory pose right in front of her eyes.

She couldn't help asking, "Then you really want to do that?"

He nodded, grinning.

"Really?"

His smile changed to something easier, something comfortable. "Will you feed me?"

"You have to obey." Shihori thought surely he didn't understand this part.

"Can I sleep here?" Ohno countered.

"Yes, I'll feed you, you can sleep here, but--" She cut off as he dropped to the floor and crawled over to her.

After a moment when Shihori sat frozen, Ohno pressed his head against her leg gently, then firmer, demanding, and she huffed.

When she dropped a hand into his hair, he pushed into it, and she scratched behind his ears. He turned his head to look up at her, resting his temple on her thigh. Her hand stilled, fingers entwined with his hair.

He smiled. "Master."

  
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A person less self-assured would probably have spent much of their day second-guessing a decision to take a human as a pet. Shihori considered it done. She would deal with it later, whether it worked out or not.

It helped that her new job was time-consuming and frustrating, though it didn't feel like a benefit.

"Kanjiya-san, none of these ideas work," her new boss Takanori said, not even bothering to pause as he walked by. Shihori looked at the binder he'd tossed onto her desk and sighed. She was going to have to ask for help. She looked to her right and found Erika looking amused, to her left and found Ryo looking disdainful.

She'd ask Karina at lunch. For the present she worked on other things, trying not to feel her subordinates staring at her. She didn't want to be here, but she wasn't willing to do anything other than her best work.

As she and Karina walked to the cafeteria a couple hours later, she remembered that she had someone at home, waiting for her return.

But then she forgot again, because there, standing in front of her, was Aiba Masaki.

Shihori spluttered, feeling a deep flush permeate her face, and squeaked out, "Aiba-senpai?"

Karina murmured, "I'll meet you in the cafeteria, stud," and walked quickly ahead, nodding politely to Aiba as she passed.

"Kanjiya-san, long time no see," Aiba said cheerfully, bowing lower than anyone else would. Shihori dipped her head, still staring at her college crush standing right in front of her. He looked even better than she remembered, with his perfectly messy hair, flashy but flattering clothes, and how very tall he seemed, though he really wasn't much taller than average.

He made her feel short, dumpy, and completely tongue-tied. She tried to think of something to say, wondering if it was too out of the blue to mention she was still in touch with Aiba's old college friend Sho. She put that in reserve in case conversation truly stagnated.

"Kanjiya-san," Aiba said again, dimples appearing to wink happily at her. "Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?" When she just stared at him, he cleared his throat, smile fading, and then tacked on, "Like, a date? But it doesn't have to be, I just thought maybe... if you wanted, or we could be--"

"A date would be wonderful," Shihori croaked, trying not to run away. She smiled at him as best she could, and he beamed back at her.

"Great! We can catch up then, I can't wait. I'll meet you here tomorrow, at the same time."

She nodded, thinking she should probably blink soon if she didn't want her eyes stuck open forever.

Aiba waved as he walked away, long legs carrying him away from her, and Shihori realized that tomorrow she had a date. With Aiba Masaki.

She rushed to the cafeteria to tell Karina and Yuriko.

  
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Shihori worked late, trying to overcome her lack of experience in her new field, and Erika and Ryo stayed and worked as well. She was surprised they didn't complain about it, but she didn't let it show.

With Karina's pointers taken in mind, she turned in another set of ideas for style items for the site, and she could only hope she wouldn't be starting from scratch again tomorrow.

For now, she was headed home.

She wondered if Ohno would really still be there. Would he be waiting by the door, figurative tail wagging?

The apartment was dark as she let herself in, and she sighed. Alone again. It made more sense that Ohno would find somewhere to stay where he didn't have to be a pet, but she was surprisingly disappointed.

Then she heard a snuffling noise and tiptoed into the living room to find... Ohno, asleep on the rug, clothes askew from the way his limbs were flung every which way.

She had a pet. She smiled and dropped to her knees beside him, then scritched her fingers through his hair. He made a contented noise before turning to curl around her, body making a cozy C-shape on the floor.

"Welcome home." His voice was scratchy from sleep, and he hadn't even opened his eyes. His bandages made her feel unbearably protective.

"I'm home," Shihori said softly.

Dinner that night was quiet, both of them paying more attention to their food than each other, but it was comfortable.

Ohno asked about the untouched surfing gear he'd found in the closet in his room, which Shihori had plans to use someday when she had the time, and she asked him about ending up in the box, but he put her off again. Mostly he muttered to himself about the extreme deliciousness of the food.

It was nice. Afterward she sat on the couch, looking over some documents from work and checking them against the actual site, and he stood and looked at her, clearly wanting to say something. She didn't push, figuring he'd say it if he wanted to. She wondered if Erika and Ryo would be nicer to her if she tried to pretend she wanted to be there.

"Shihori."

She looked up, irritated that he'd use her name without honorifics, but he looked so unassuming that she merely said, "Shihori- _san_."

"Shihori-san," Ohno repeated meekly. "Would you wash my hair?"

She was caught off-guard, but answered smoothly, "Nope."

"Please, I tried but it hurt my hand." He held out his injured arm like evidence, and when she glanced up, he was making a pitiful expression.

"Fine." She put her work aside and headed to the bathroom. "Aren't you coming?"

"Do you have any swim trunks I could wear?" He looked apprehensive. "Or... do you have bubble bath?"

She chuckled. "Are you embarrassed? Pets don't usually wear clothes, you know."

He jutted his jaw out at her. "Human pets do. If you're not naked, I don't want to be naked either." He gave a little shiver just at the thought.

"I'll draw the bath and make it nice and bubbly," she said kindly, and he gave her the briefest squeeze around the waist as he darted past her. It felt like gratitude for not teasing him, so she let it go, and besides, he was her pet. It would take her a while to get used to that.

  
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"Feels good." Ohno's voice was blissful as Shihori scrubbed circles into his scalp.

"Does it?" she said, then stopped moving. He whined, peeking back at her, and she made a threatening face. "Tell me how you ended up in the box or I'll stop."

"You already stopped," he said sullenly, but when she made to move her hands away, he said quickly, "I was hiding."

"From?" She started scrubbing again, and he sank back into the tub happily, hurt hand safely over the side.

"There's this group of bullies in my neighborhood. This one guy, he was in my class at school, I saw him taunting this grandma I know."

"Mmm," she said, encouraging him on. The bubbles obscured his body, the shampoo was slick in his hair, and overall she was feeling content with everything, though sometimes she had a flash of wondering what the hell she was doing.

"I drew a picture of him, so they beat me up," Ohno concluded. Shihori's hands paused.

"That doesn't make sense."

"Ah, it was on a building. And it was a caricature, I guess, I made him look... he has these squinting eyes and the scraggliest beard, as if he wanted a full one but couldn't grow it..."

"You made him look stupid. With graffiti." Her hands started moving again as she thought this over. "I can see why that would piss him off, if everyone could see."

"Everyone could see," Ohno said smugly. "But then they found me, and he had all these guys... finally I got away, and when I heard them behind me, I hid in that box."

"Do you do a lot of graffiti? Don't be putting my face on a building, caricature or not."

"I won't," he said drowsily, sinking a little farther into the suds. "I don't usually do people anyway."

"Good. Time to rinse, Ohno-san."

"You'll call your pet Ohno-san?" he asked, clearly stalling losing her touch. She rubbed a little longer, thinking it over.

"What should I call you, then?"

He pushed up into her hands, just enough to show his appreciation. "Whatever you want."

"Oh-chan, then," she said fondly. Then she pulled her hands away and said firmly, "Oh-chan, time to rinse."

  
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Lying in bed that night, all Shihori could think about was Aiba.

At least he'd clarified that he wanted a date, because otherwise she'd be agonizing over that, but she still couldn't believe she and Aiba were going to see each other, on purpose, romantically, tomorrow.

He'd been in a monogamous relationship the whole time she'd known him in college. She'd envied Becky almost as much as she'd wanted to be her friend, but Becky was a year older and a human whirligig, and Shihori had always preferred staying in. Staying in, however, lent itself well to pining over Aiba, and she'd pined with an intensity that was almost pleasant, wallowing in the feeling without ever having an outlet for it.

She wondered if she should take some sort of tranquilizer before lunch, if she was expected to be a normal person on a first date with Aiba rather than a previously-obsessed recluse. She reminded herself that it was in the past.

Somehow, she had a date with Aiba tomorrow.

  
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Shihori was feeling her absolute best. Takanori had accepted her new ideas, though not without grumbling, and Ryo had fetched her coffee without "accidentally" dumping salt in it. Erika had even complimented her... well, she'd said, "I really like your--" before trailing off and looking dubiously at Shihori's outfit, but it was still a win. They were trying, and Shihori was going to try twice as hard from now on to make it work.

As she strode down the hallway with Karina, she felt polished, professional, and pretty, totally ready for her date with Aiba. She was wearing her cutest outfit that was still utterly work-appropriate and her very tallest shoes. Those teetering heels would get her up near Aiba's height enough that she could enjoy their height difference without feeling dwarfed by him.

Karina stopped her with a hand on her wrist and inspected her from top to toe. Then she smiled and said, "You are fantastic, Shii-chan. I hope your date goes well."

"It will," Shihori replied, striking a determined pose.

"Go get him." At Karina's eyebrow waggle, Shihori laughed.

"Yuri-chan is a bad influence on you."

A familiar voice called, "Kanjiya-san!"

Karina bobbed her chin at her and left to meet Yuriko, and Shihori turned to Aiba.

She immediately felt ridiculous. Somehow the nearly silly, entirely stylish clothes that Aiba wore had her feeling both over- and under-dressed, and his effortless social charm, apparent in his smile and easy-going wave, had her feeling like a cave troll dropped into a tea ceremony.

She was exaggerating. She was not going to screw up her shot with the man of her dreams. She squared her shoulders and marched forward to meet Aiba.

  
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Somehow Shihori survived her date with Aiba, and it must have gone decently enough because she had another one for dinner Sunday night. She had a few minutes at her desk, trying to settle her thoughts and determine for herself how the lunch had gone, then everything went to shit.

Takanori came over and snapped at her to follow him into his office, and when Ryo made a faux-terrified face, Erika forgot her good intentions from the morning and cackled. Shihori tried to walk with dignity, not acknowledging their lack of respect, but she didn't have enough practice walking in her tallest heels, and the next thing she knew she was on the ground, ankle throbbing, while her boss yelled at her to hurry up.

She grabbed her shoe (heel snapped, of course) and hobbled after him, sure things were about to get worse.

They did.

Takanori informed her, in tones loud enough for the whole office to hear, that she'd mislabeled an outfit in a slide that had gone online the day before, and now the actual designer wanted to sue. When Shihori choked out that she'd had Ryo and Erika fact-check the entire folder she'd handed in, Takanori added an additional lecture about personal responsibility and not shifting blame, tone derisive. She nodded, jaw clenched, and strove not to cry in front of someone who would probably see it as feminine weakness.

She imagined his face on a punching bag and beat it to shreds, belatedly realizing she was gesticulating violently with her broken shoe. She stopped, but Takanori was staring at her disbelievingly, and then, like he was trying to break her spirit, he sent her home.

"Let me at least talk to the designer, explain that it was my fault--"

"No. Just go, let the rest of us clean up your mess. Come back Monday, if you think you can do any better."

Between giving up the argument and fighting on through tears, Shihori chose to leave. As she stumbled out, desperately holding her emotions in until at least the hallway, she saw Karina's worried face across the room, Ryo and Erika looking guilty, and then the exit sign, blurry and beckoning.

  
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"Welcome home; you're early, Shihori-chan."

At the sound of Ohno's warm voice, Shihori slid to the floor of her entryway, finally letting herself cry. She didn't know how she'd made it home, but now that she had, she didn't want to leave ever again.

"Shihori-chan?" It sounded like her pet was panicking a bit at the sight of her tears. She chuckled, but it turned into a sob, and then Ohno was there.

She looked up to find him looking steadily at her, expression concerned, and she wondered if she should try to explain. She could only think an explanation would end in a vow never to go back to that office, and some small, strong part of her knew that she'd be going back in to work in a couple days, spine straight and face impassive, so she held in her words and just cried instead.

For a moment, Ohno looked helpless, and then he knelt, so close she could feel their clothes brush, and offered his hair for stroking. She stared, breath catching, and then she let her hand come up to pet him, fingers running through the dark strands over and over.

After a moment, she pulled his head to her body and just held him, feeling comfort soak in through the contact. He was solid and warm against her, but he didn't shift either toward her or away, just let the entire situation be on her terms. One of her hands cradled his neck while the other kept stroking his hair, and she dropped her head down to rest against his, feeling like she was home, she was safe, and everything was going to be all right.

He let her hold him for a long time, and when she pressed him gently away, he went easily. He looked content, less sleepy than peaceful, and then, for a moment, she thought he might kiss her.

Her breath came faster as she tried to figure out how she'd react, but then his expression shifted from something wanting to something silly.

"Shihori-chan, am I a cat or a dog?"

She grinned, mopping her face with her jacket to get rid of those spent tears. She reached out and stroked from his forehead all the way back to his neck, a smooth, adoring stroke, and said, "A kitty."

Leaving that hand on his neck, she brought her other up and scratched behind his ear, giggling at the loopy expression he made. She concluded, "And a mutt, both." She petted with both hands and then pulled away, enjoying the way he leaned after her as if to chase her affection.

Finally giving in to temptation, she extended a finger and poked at the soft roundness of his cheek. Since he didn't even blink, she did it again, then poked the other side. "Hmm, and maybe a panda."

"Jun-kun says I have baby bear eyes," he said, and his tone and expression somehow made it feel like a complaint about the difficulty of playing three roles at once. She grabbed him by the chin so that his cheeks pushed out even more.

"Time to make dinner, panda-chan."

"Pandas like curry!"

"We're having soba."

Later, they ended up cuddling on the couch. She'd turned on a cheesy drama, and he'd gotten an ice-pack for her ankle after seeing her walk, but her focus was on the feeling of having someone trusted right next to her, their bodies curved and overlapping to accommodate each other, breathing together and soaking in the easy affection of owner and pet.

She didn't think about Aiba, her stupid shoe, her mistake at work, or her nasty coworkers, just laughed along with Ohno's soft chuffs at the television.

  
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The day was sunny and warm, there was only one little girl playing on the playground, and their hands were loosely clasped between them on the wooden park bench. Keiko's face was a picture of indecision, her long ponytail swinging slightly as she debated within herself.

Shihori had just told her best friend the barest bones versions of both adopting a human pet and starting to date the person she'd idealized for years, and Keiko couldn't decide about which to interrogate her first.

Finally she said, "Some strange man is living in your home?" Shihori's breath gusted out; she'd had a bet with herself that Keiko would ask about Aiba first.

"He's my pet. It's weird, I know, but it's working out. It feels--"

"It feels weird, stick with that feeling, that one seems right. Sora-chan, sliding is _not_ done head first!"

Shihori smiled at Sora's answering shout. "He is a man, yeah, and I'm a heterosexual woman, but I'm not attracted to him that way. He's just... he's sweet, like a puppy, and soft, like a kitten, and he likes attention but he's all right being left alone for hours and hours. And he's got these cheeks--oh god, on his _face_ , Keiko, wipe that expression off right now!"

"Then his butt is no good?" Keiko asked, abruptly switching sides of the argument to sound disappointed.

"I haven't even noticed," Shihori lied. It had to be acknowledged that her pet had a fabulous ass.

"What about his arms?" her friend asked suspiciously, knowing Shihori was a connoisseur of well-muscled arms.

Shihori considered Ohno's arms. She hadn't really gotten a good look, so she said fairly, "I'm not sure."

Keiko seemed to take this lack of interest as a sign not to worry. "Well, all right, but I'm coming over to meet him soon, and that's that. Now tell me everything about Aiba-chan!"

"Wait--since when is it Aiba-chan? Last I heard it was still Aiba-senpai, Kei-chan of the Kitagawa clan."

Keiko looked guilty. "I didn't want to tell you, since you were doing so well getting over him, even dating that wonderful man--you remember Shige, the one you dumped and broke both his heart and mine?--but Aiba-chan and Becky-chan used to come over for dinner every month or so, back before they broke up."

This took some digestion, but the first thing Shihori asked was, "How long ago did they split?"

"Maybe a year? No, ten months. She said she had to focus completely on work or she'd never forgive herself, and then they fought, since he--well, Sho and Aiba-chan still get together a lot, but without Becky-chan around, I haven't been able to get him back over for dinner." Keiko's face lit up. "But now, if you're dating him--"

"Impossible. Our fragile bond will not be subjected to you and Sho-kun and your ridiculously happy marriage. It'd be enough to give any new couple a complex."

"We're not that bad," Keiko said, but she was grinning like a loon, clearly pleased. "Tell me about your date already, come on."

"We'll discuss this secret-keeping later, but yes, we had a date, and I think it was lovely."

"You think?"

"It's hard to tell, it's all a wash of nerves and cold sweat in my memories... but we're going out again tomorrow, so it must have gone well."

"Shii-chan, if he makes you that uncomfortable--"

"How could Aiba-senpai make anyone uncomfortable?" Shihori was sure that if there were any issues with dating Aiba, they could be overcome with a little persistence.

Keiko considered this, then grinned. "That is an excellent point. But try to calm down, all right? That lovable airhead doesn't merit worshiping, especially by someone as together as you are."

Shihori squeezed her hand. "Kei-chan, how's it been, going back to work?"

Keiko started punching the air violently with their linked hands, and Shihori let her rant it all out.

  
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"I'm home!" Shihori called, squinting into the darkness. Ohno had told her that he was switching to day shifts, but it was still hard to believe that he'd really be there when she got home every day.

"Yes," a voice called back, and she switched the lights on to find Ohno on the couch, both feet high in the air.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I hurt my calves," he said, not seeming too distressed.

Shihori sat on the free cushion and patted her lap, then again when Ohno didn't move. Finally he lowered his legs to rest on hers, though he was giving her a leery look. She didn't tell him that every one of his expressions was cute with the Doraemon band-aid over his eye.

She pushed up his pajama pants to bare his legs, dropping a forearm over his ankles when he started squirming, and rubbed at the tight muscles of his calf.

"Massage is my specialty. Stop wriggling, puppy-chan, that's an order."

Ohno settled, though his face was still going through wacky contortions. It didn't seem like she was hurting him, so she wondered why he was anxious. She rubbed her way up to his knees, and he seemed to calm down, so she rubbed back down toward his ankles, and his face squeezed back into a mask of terror. Apparently he had sensitive feet.

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" She moved back up to his calves again, letting it go for now.

Ohno scowled defiantly. "No."

"How'd you hurt yourself?"

"Dancing."

Shihori waited for more, then poked her longest nail into the vulnerable back of his knee. "Oi, Oh-chan, spill the beans."

He huffed. "My friends kept asking me to be in one of their stageplays, but it sounded like a lot of work. Now my legs are broken, see."

"Why'd you join, then?" Her pet had nice legs, Shihori thought absently. They were muscular but sleek, the strong curve leading down to trim ankles.

"My mama, when she kicked me out, she made me mad. When Nino asked this time around, I said yes, and they won't let me back out. Jun-kun practically had me sign my name in blood."

She felt like she was dragging the story out of him in reverse, but asked patiently, "Why did your mother kick you out?"

He shrugged. "I'm thirty now, working at a convenience store, don't go outside much except to go fishing. She tried to bet me that it was impossible for me to live alone, but I agreed, so."

"You agreed, but you got mad?" She started working on the other calf, and he winced, trying to jerk his legs away again. She made a stern face at him until he stilled.

"I told her I had something coming up, something big, but she didn't believe me. I don't lie, you know."

Shihori didn't know that, really, but she said, "I know, Oh-chan."

For a moment they were quiet, even Ohno's expressions relaxing a bit, then Shihori mused, "So you work at that convenience store, you fish, you're dancing in a stageplay... what else?"

Ohno smiled. "I'm your pet."

She smiled back, letting her hand drift down past his ankle, and when he yowled she moved it back up and said, "But that's not the big thing, so what's that?"

He looked at her distrustfully, torso a foot off the upholstery. She struggled to make it look easy, holding his legs down, and eventually he subsided.

When she made a questioning noise, reminding him of their conversation, he sighed, settling back into the cushions and looking abruptly sleepy. "It's really big, Shihori-chan. When it happens, I'll send you the very first invitation."

She was touched. She hugged his shins as best she could, and then, seeing his eyes close, went for his feet.

  
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"How'd you get that scratch on your face?"

First Ohno had thrashed, but she'd kept exclaiming about how soft his feet were, and when she switched the word soft for _fluffy_ , he'd broken off in the middle of his complaining to laugh and lightly swat her on the head. After that, he'd confined his protests to a series of intense facial expressions... until she'd hit a particularly tender spot and his foot had shot up uncontrollably, somehow scratching her face with one toenail.

Seeing Aiba's inquiring expression, Shihori said simply, "I have a pet."

"Oh, really, what kind?" he exclaimed, face lighting up. She belatedly remembered his long speech at their lunch about how much he loved being an animal photographer, someone who traveled around the world just to meet all kinds of animals and take their pictures.

"A cat," she decided, hoping that was too boring for further questions.

"Uwaaa, I have always wanted a cat, but my mom is allergic and she said I'd bring the dander home on my clothes. Is it a he or a she, when can I meet your cat, is it a kitten or an adult, is it cute?"

She stared at him, trying to gather her words into believable lies.

"But of course it's cute, all cats are cute, you're right. Do you want a band-aid for your face?"

After she'd been scratched, Ohno had apologized, though once he'd seen she was all right he'd started muttering darkly about what happened was inevitable if someone touched his feet. She'd ordered him to lie flat on the sofa and shut up, and then she'd cut his toenails, managing not to nick him by dint of threatening to stop washing his hair if he moved.

"Shihori-san?"

She blinked out of her daydream to find that Aiba's face was very close. How could she have zoned out with someone so handsome sitting across from her? And somehow, up close, he was even more attractive, his pretty eyes full of life, his mouth soft and inviting, the flash of an earring peeking out from his hair. It seemed like his eyes were darker than a moment ago as he swayed even closer to her.

She panicked. "Uh, he's a naughty cat, big and mean and I can't ever have guests over, he'd scratch their eyes out."

She sent a mental apology to Ohno, though he was probably still napping on the rug after their impromptu wrestling match earlier, which Shihori had won by the judicious use of some vicious tickling.

Aiba's big eyes blinked slowly. "I see. You want dessert, right? Want to get two things and share them?"

She sighed with relief as he sat back in his chair, then brightened at the prospect of dessert.

  
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Lulled as she was with two delicious types of cake inside of her, Shihori couldn't think of a good excuse to stop Aiba walking her all the way up to her door.

Truth be told, she was also hoping he'd kiss her. But now he was leaning in, talking about having coffee inside her apartment, and she wanted to tell him to kiss her and scram but... he'd be shocked, she couldn't tell him what to do like that, and she really couldn't be so clear that she wanted him. Aiba was used to her being quiet and demure.

Thinking about it like that made her want to kiss him a little less.

"I'm just not ready to say goodnight yet, Shihori-chan. Ah, I don't mean, I'm not trying anything weird--although I would really like to kiss you, but um--"

Aiba's rambling honesty had Shihori warming up to him again. If he knew her as demure, it was because that was the only side of herself she'd shown to him. Becky was one of the least demure women Shihori had ever known, and Aiba had obviously loved her to distraction.

To stop thinking about that, Shihori nodded and unlocked her door, peeking ahead to find welcome darkness.

"Let me go clean up for a minute," she improvised. "Stay here."

Aiba made an exaggerated face of assent and froze in place.

Ohno wasn't in the living room, and the bathroom was unoccupied. She had a little time to herself with Aiba, time for coffee and smooches, hopefully.

She turned on the lights and called for Aiba to come in. She turned to the kitchen and was met with a warm body traveling too quickly, Aiba having slid across the wood floor on his socks and not planned well.

He was in her arms at last. She clung for a moment, feeling how solid and strong he was, and breathed in the scent of him. He made her feel small and feminine, and when he backed up a bit to look down at her, she tilted her chin up willingly.

He was leaning down, lips about to brush hers, when the barking started.

Shihori jumped back, genuinely frightened for a second, and then she realized it must be Ohno. Aiba looked confused and a little excited, and she had to hold his arm to keep him from starting toward the sounds.

He turned to her, brow wrinkling. "I thought you said you had a cat?"

She cursed Ohno in her head as the barking ceased. "I do, I'm just also pet-sitting for my friend. Her dog is, um, very violent, you should probably go, Aiba-senpai."

"You could call me something else, you know."

Distracted, she said, "Hmm?"

He came a little closer, and her eyes met his. "Most people call me Aiba-chan. Or you could call me Maa-kun..."

Shihori was about to grab his collar and bring his mouth down to hers, lady-like behavior be damned, when her wretched pet started a ridiculous, incredibly loud howl.

"I'll see you soon, Aiba--Aiba-chan."

He looked disappointed, but he went gracefully, waving vigorously until the door snicked shut. As soon as she locked the door, Shihori turned and snarled.

"Oh-chan, you mongrel, get out here!"

He slunk out to the living room slowly, then refused to sit when she pointed at the couch. She pushed him down, getting even angrier by his obvious lack of penitence.

"What the hell, Oh-chan? Were you trying to ruin my date?"

"You didn't say you were going on a date, then you bring him here, to our home," he said petulantly.

She sighed, then thought out loud, "Where were you, anyway? Were you hiding?"

"I wasn't hiding; I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was in my room."

She blinked, having forgotten that he even had a room. He always slept in the living room and only seemed to disappear for a bit after bathing to put on fresh pajamas. She'd bought him a bargain pack of three pairs of gray pajamas just like hers.

"Well, I wasn't doing anything wrong either," she said fiercely, shaking her finger in his face.

To her shock, he slapped her hand away. It didn't hurt physically, but emotionally she was stricken.

"You brought him here," Ohno mumbled angrily.

"Well, I own this place, I can do what I like. And I care about him, I can do what I like with him, too!"

Ohno's frown got deeper and deeper as Shihori went recklessly on. Finally he pushed up from the couch and _glared_ at her.

"I'm going out."

She threw up her hands. "Good!"

As she watched him storm away, though, some part of her started to fret that he meant he wasn't coming back. When he turned to slip into his shoes, he saw her expression and hesitated.

Shihori wasn't known for her good temper. "Go on then, if you want to go!"

Ohno's expression turned resolutely nasty. But even then, even when she was pushing him away, he said, "I'll be back."

Under all the layers of hurt and anger, Shihori was deeply relieved.

  
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[Part One Art](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/graphics/astray_part1.jpg)


	2. Chapter 2

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Ohno did come back, but not for a day or so, and things after that were tense. They weren't fighting, exactly, but he was cold, and when he reacted snidely to attempted amends, she didn't try again.

On top of the atmosphere, he misbehaved. Sometimes it was something simple, like leaving his wet towel on the bathroom floor, but sometimes he got creative. He'd misbehave like a puppy, leaving squishy leftovers in her shoes as if he'd had an accident, or like a cat, scratching his nails on the upholstery of her chair and pretending not to notice that she could see him. One day she came home and he was gutting a fish in her kitchen, right on the counter-top, and when she scolded him, he said that cats liked fish and didn't use plates. It took her a moment to swallow that, but then she retorted that cats washed themselves, too, and to her disappointment, he merely scrunched up his nose and said his wrist was mostly healed anyway.

As if to counter her pet relationship going downhill, everything else in her life seemed to be on the up-turn. She'd gone back to work with her head held high to find her subordinates conciliatory, the angry designer not suing after all, and a card from the coworkers she'd been close with in News letting her know she was missed. Every day was a struggle, but she felt more and more that she was learning the ropes and getting along as best she could. After a week of near harmony, Erika had even invited her out for a drink with her and Ryo, causing Shihori almost to swallow her tongue.

Plus, she was seeing more and more of Aiba. He kept wanting to do exciting things, like white-water rafting or parasailing, but Shihori would bargain him down to riding a carousel, or going to a carnival, where he won her a stuffed animal by shooting bottles but they both failed miserably at catching goldfish. They went to an amusement park, after which she slept for nearly eleven hours, and to the zoo, where she kept wanting to remark on the similarities various animals had to her pet, but couldn't. She was exhausted, working long hours at a stressful job and then running around with Aiba during the nights and weekends, but she felt like she was making progress on her life goals. If she had the wish that Aiba would suggest staying in with a movie more nights, she told herself she was a fuddy-duddy and ignored it.

They'd kissed now, too, she and Aiba. Keiko had tried to pry every detail out of her, but mostly Shihori just smiled and said honestly that it was nice, and if her best friend got too nosy, she turned the tables. This backfired on the memorable occasion when Keiko let her in on the way she and Sho sometimes role-played as butler and mistress, but Shihori wasn't such a prude as to not find that story hilarious and a little impressive. She no longer secretly suspected Sho of being boring in bed.

Everything seemed under control except for Ohno. Shihori asked all her friends about how to deal with a misbehaving pet, and all of them seemed to think it just took patience. She'd be running out of that after nearly two weeks of Ohno's insubordination, except she'd found a small loophole.

Ohno never got mad at her if she petted him while he pretended to be asleep. She'd come home and he'd be snoozing, and she'd softly stroke his hair, hearing his breathing change but letting him fake not waking up. Sometimes he turned his head into her touch, and she gained so much comfort from these small moments that she could pretty herself up to rush out again to see Aiba.

One day she'd come in after work to find Ohno napping in a patch of sunlight, shirt rucked up a few inches and tanned stomach peeking out. She'd bypassed his rumpled hair to scratch lightly at that exposed skin, feeling her snoozing kitty needed a belly-rub, too, but the unexpected definition of his abdomen had her shivering, and somehow she was trailing her fingertips lightly over every dip and swell of lean muscle under smooth skin. She'd gasped when he wrapped his hand around her wrist, halting her stroking, and when she met his eyes, he was looking back with such heat that she stopped breathing. For the first time, she'd wondered if all this was brought on by more than territorial feelings, if Ohno was actually, romantically jealous. But after a few seconds he'd batted her hands away and curled back up, face sliding back to blankness, and she'd decided she'd surely been mistaken.

After two weeks of her relationship with her pet being confusing and frustrating, Shihori was ready to try just about anything to fix it, but she was so tired from work and her new boyfriend that she could hardly work up the energy to plot. It took her a weirdly long time to ask Aiba, who knew more about animals than anyone of her friends, but finally she decided that she'd ask on their next dinner date.

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Shihori was dressed up again, wearing her second tallest heels and having spent half an hour fixing her hair. Aiba's hair looked effortlessly perfect, and she suppressed a pang of bitterness.

He was ordering for them, and at the end of every sentence he was adding, in English, "Please thank you!"

They were at a French restaurant. He could be such a ditz sometimes, which Shihori liked. She'd much rather tease someone than marvel at their perfection.

When the amused waiter was gone, she opened her mouth to tease him, but what came out was a soft, "Aiba-senpai..."

She was having trouble breaking that habit.

He leaned closer to her. "You know, I really, really wouldn't mind if you called me something less formal... Kanjiya-san."

She lowered her eyes, hating how prissy she acted around him at times. "Shihori is fine."

At this, he leaned forward, into her space, and she choked quietly on air.

It was really unfair that one person should be so handsome. His skin was golden, his hair was sweetly mussed, and his eyes were lit with something from inside, something happy and saucy and charming.

"Shihori?"

If only she could be herself around him. Unaccountably, she thought longingly of her pajamas and her pet, who was probably sprawled out snoozing on the couch, waiting for her to come home and pet him. Maybe he'd have gotten over his snit and he'd put his head in her lap and make these little pleased noises that should be off-putting, but instead--

"Shihori-chan?"

She cursed herself, wondering what was wrong with her tonight. She said, stumbling on her words, "Aiba-chan, I was wondering if you had any ideas, for--for my pet, he's been really angry lately and I don't know how to make out-- _up_ , make up with him." Her face felt like it was on fire.

Aiba didn't seem to notice, too happy to be asked for advice about such an important topic. He rubbed his chin, nodding every few seconds as he considered the question deeply. Finally he said, "Yes! I have it!"

She leaned in curiously, eyes wide, and he said with certainty, "Food."

She sighed. "I do feed him, Aiba-san."

"No, something special! Something he really wants that maybe he's never had before. Fish? A mouse?"

She leaned up to thank Aiba for his concern, but after a quick peck on the lips she forgot that she'd been intending to give him a more lingering salute. Suddenly she knew exactly what to do to reconcile with her pet. Her airhead boyfriend was a genius.

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Shihori hummed as she chopped vegetables, then smiled as she heard someone come in the apartment. Soon enough there was a spiky head poking around the corner to see why she was home early from work, expression a cross between eagerness and forced nonchalance.

"Oh-chan," she crooned cheerfully. "Welcome home."

He snorted but moved a step or two closer, trying to get a glimpse of the recipe she was using.

With a wave of her shiny chopping knife, Shihori said airily, "Oh, a little birdie told me that pandas like curry."

She'd expected Ohno would be pleased, but there was only silence, and when she looked up he had the strangest face. Finally he pointed at her knife, saying, "Put that down?"

After she'd done so, worried he'd gotten mad again for reasons she couldn't contemplate, her pet was in motion. The next thing she knew she was being embraced, his arms around her from behind and clinging tight. Her breath shuddered out as she felt his forearms strong against her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder. She nearly leaned back into him, but drew his arms farther around her body instead, bringing him forward to drape warmly on her back.

She realized her eyes were prickling with tears and brought her hands sliding down his arms to rest over his knuckles as if she was hugging herself as well. She said softly, "I missed you," then closed her eyes, just feeling him breathe.

He turned until his cheek was resting on the curve of her neck, squeezing her close. He murmured, "I'm sorry," and then, even more quietly, "I'm sorry, I--I'll work on it."

Some instinct had her leaving that alone, neither asking about it nor thinking on it too closely. When he whispered, "Shihori," she cleared her throat.

"You do like curry, right, Oh-chan?"

He was quiet for long seconds, then dropped a kiss on her shoulder and backed away. "I told you, Shihori-chan, all pandas like curry."

She wanted him to hold her again but busied her trembling hands dumping the vegetables into a pot.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The next evening when Shihori got home from work, irritated from the short journey and the long day, Ohno didn't pretend to be asleep. She moved slowly, giving him time to shift away, but he just looked at her with soft eyes, and when she got her fingers in her hair, he cuddled close like a puppy again.

His head was still blissfully in her lap when the doorbell buzzed. Ohno let out a low whine as she moved out from under him, and she smiled, feeling at peace with everything right at that moment.

The little screen showed that her best friend was standing outside her door. Shihori's mouth dropped open, and she opened the door with the plan to hiss that this was not a good time to visit.

The pudgy face of her non-biological niece stared back at her, grinning from ear to ear.

"Auntie Shii-san, we came to see you!"

Shihori locked eyes with Keiko, acknowledging defeat.

Sora ran ahead while Keiko linked arms with Shihori, pulling her in so that there could finally be a meeting between best friend and pet.

They entered the living room in time to see Ohno drop to his knees and say, "I'm Ohno, it's all right to call me Oh-chan."

"I'm Sora, you can call me Mars."

Ohno blinked at this but nodded solemnly. "I like your shorts."

Keiko said quietly to Shihori, "She's been watching Sailor Moon and refuses to wear anything but red on the bottom and white or purple on top. I've been doing a lot of laundry."

Shihori chuckled, glad that Sora was there to dispel the potential tension of Keiko's certain interrogation.

Sora pushed her face up to Ohno's, eyes enormous. "Would you like a reading?"

From the look on Ohno's face, Shihori was 100% certain he had no idea what Sora was talking about, but he said immediately, "Yes, please."

"Uh oh," Keiko muttered, and Sora shouted, "Mars power!" at the top of her lungs.

After an enthusiastic twirl, Sora rested a hand on Ohno's forehead. She concentrated fiercely, then said, "Oh my gosh, Oh-chan, I think you have special powers, too!"

Still having possession of Shihori's arm, Keiko tugged her toward the kitchen. "Let's leave them to it while we catch up."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Half an hour later, Keiko knew all about the pet reconciliation and the recent happenings at work, and Shihori knew all about Sho being off on some special assignment overseas again for his foreign correspondent job and the way the other clerks at the clothing store were being catty about Keiko's long-delayed return.

They'd looked over the counter every few minutes to find that Ohno and Sora were still in deep discussions about Ohno's powers, and later to find that a huge sheet of white paper had appeared out of nowhere and there was now finger-painting happening in Shihori's living room. It seemed to ease some of Keiko's suspicion about Ohno, though Shihori fretted for her rug.

"Sora-chan, watch TV for a while, all right?" Keiko said, pointing firmly at Shihori's tiny television.

Sora pouted, and Ohno said, "If you sit over there, I can paint you a picture."

She didn't look swayed, but when Keiko handed her a well-worn tape to slide into Shihori's ancient VCR, she went. Ohno chuckled and began to paint on an unused square of paper.

Shihori gestured to Ohno. "Kei-chan, this is Ohno Satoshi, my pet. Oh-chan, this is Sakurai Keiko, my best friend."

Keiko was squinting down at Ohno's drawing taking shape, then said, "No, see, this part's purple, and then she has a red choker, you can't forget."

"What about shoes?" Ohno mumbled back, focusing deeply on painting in Sora's gap-toothed grin.

"Red heels, but for Sora-chan--"

"Flats," Ohno finished agreeably, nodding.

Her dozy pet was making a good impression, Shihori thought. Sure her absence wouldn't be noted, she went to make some snacks.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Weeks passed, much more happily than when Ohno was sullen. There was a job opening back in News, and Shihori put her best effort into applying despite the step back it would be career-wise, which resulted in a cooling off between herself and her subordinates when Ryo heard about it somehow and told Erika. Shihori wanted to get back to her old department too badly to care, though if she left, she intended to recommend Erika for her old position.

Sho came back just as Aiba went off on a trip to another continent, and Shihori went for dinner at Sho and Keiko's, pleased when Sora dragged her to her room to show off the Sailor Mars shrine with the portrait Ohno had drawn of Sora as Mars in the position of honor. They asked again if she and Aiba would come over for dinner sometime, but Shihori still thought that sounded perilous and declined.

Aiba's work trip lasted a week and a half, and when he came back he started to move things along more quickly than Shihori had anticipated. She kept that as separate as she could from her time with Ohno, but he seemed determinedly unfazed, and besides, he'd gotten busy as well.

She wasn't sure what he was busy doing, exactly, but she assumed it had to do with the stageplay. It resulted in a lot of awkward meetings in the hallway with one or both of them in towels, and it meant he was rarely there when she got home from work, which was more disappointing than she would have expected.

Even so, she and her pet were only getting closer. He'd showed her his room, which was full of paint, carefully hidden canvases, and a bewildering number of tarps, and she showed him the old recording of her in high school when she'd been in a play herself. They'd held hands the whole time.

One of the reasons she'd felt safe taking him into her home had been that she couldn't have imagined being physically attracted to him, but now it took no imagination at all. She should be apprehensive, but somehow it felt just as safe being attracted to him as when she hadn't been. Pretty soon she was going to have to sit down with a pad of paper and a pencil and figure out just what she wanted with a good list of pros and cons. After that, she'd have a talk with Keiko, because it was niggling at her that she wasn't being completely honest with her best friend.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Making it difficult to see what she wanted clearly was Aiba, who was more charming than ever, if a little intense. Shihori couldn't deny that he was sweeping her off her feet, but more and more she was starting to feel that she'd been wrong in her self-assessment of a few years back, the one where she'd decided that she might like staying in and being comfortable, but eventually she'd be happier if she were more adventurous.

Sometimes at home, when she was with Ohno in their matching gray pajamas, she thought that she didn't need to be any happier or different than she was.

Still, she did have fun with Aiba, there was no denying that. He was funny, he was romantic, and he was so sweet that she struggled ever saying no to his suggestions. He was a genuinely good guy, and Shihori really wanted things to work between them in the way she'd always hoped.

Karina and Yuriko were always talking about Shihori's dreams coming true. They weren't wrong, but Shihori would rather hear about the person Yuriko had her eye on that week, or Karina's steady boyfriend, a musician that Shihori and Yuriko hadn't been able to wheedle their way into meeting yet. Sometime when she felt more comfortable with her boyfriend, Shihori intended to have a dinner party, with Sho and Keiko, Karina and her mystery lover, and Yuriko and whomever she chose to bring, if she chose to bring anyone. It was beyond time that her work friends met her best friend.

The first step, then, was to make sure that her boyfriend was indeed the boyfriend she wanted.

Shihori fussed with her clothes, looking into her full-length mirror. Tonight she and Aiba were going to a fancy party thrown by the network, and she wanted to look perfect. She was smoothing down her skirt when she heard the outer door open, and her gaily-shouted, "Welcome home!" came right as she decided her outfit was complete.

She skidded out to the living room, tights sliding on the wood floor until she met the rug, and was confronted by Ohno with a crutch that was much too tall for him.

"Oh-chan, what happened?" She came over to rest a hand on his shoulder, then pulled the crutch away and ducked under his arm herself to help him to the couch.

Ohno was pale and tense, clearly hurting, but he said only, "No big deal. I'll go back to rehearsing tomorrow."

"Let me see," Shihori said sternly. When she finally got his sock off, she could see his little toe was enormous and purple. She could almost see it throbbing.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Just a toe."

"Oh-chan, you broke a bone. Go to the hospital."

His mouth tilted down. "No."

"We're going to the hospital right now!" She dragged him back to his feet, then her phone rang out shrilly.

It was probably Aiba calling, wondering if she'd be there soon. "Oh-chan..."

"You're dressed up. Just go."

She waffled, feeling like her pet needed her much more than Aiba did. She was wedged under his shoulder, the perfect height to be his crutch during this, and she didn't feel like leaving.

"Go on. I'll go to the hospital, I promise."

He gently pushed her away, and she reluctantly went.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Aiba looked wonderful, and all he could talk about was how beautiful she was, how excited he was for the party, how much he loved her.

Shihori nodded absently, worried about her pet.

"I really want to find a quiet corner where we can really talk, Shihori-chan. I'd like to say... well, a corner! A quiet one!"

At her hum of assent, he towed her to a small table out of the way of the crowds of dressed-up people.

Ohno was alone, with a crutch that didn't fit him, and he couldn't drive. He'd promised to go to the hospital, but would he, really?

"Would you like a drink? Maybe something to eat?" Aiba was solicitous, as well as very close to her in the cramped booth. Normally Shihori would be all aflutter, but the party and Aiba were barely filtering through to her brain. Every few seconds she registered how many people she knew were there, including Yuriko and Karina, who were waving from a table nearby like they wanted to join parties.

It had looked like it might rain. If Ohno actually did go, would he get caught in it?

"Shihori-chan."

She focused on Aiba, who was looking uncharacteristically serious. She smiled at him and patted his cheek lightly, about to turn back to her thoughts, but he repeated her name urgently.

"I shouldn't do this here, but I've been waiting for a good time, and you look so lovely that it's hard to wait any longer."

Shihori tried to look attentive, but a terrifying thought had just occurred to her. What if the bullies who'd beaten Ohno up before found him again, while he was alone, in the rain, and couldn't run away?

"I know it's too soon, I know, but I really want to start our life together. Our lives, I mean, I don't want you to give anything up for me, I just want to get married, have children, I really want those things, Shihori, and I think maybe you could be the one--Shihori?"

Somehow she was on her feet staring down at Aiba. "I have to go. I have to go, Oh-chan needs me!"

She heard Aiba calling out for her as she ran away, but she didn't look back.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

When Shihori arrived home, she called for Ohno. The lights were on, which meant her pet probably hadn't gone to the hospital, and she resolved to take him right that moment.

"Ah, Shihori-chan." Ohno looked completely at ease on her couch, his injured foot in the lap of someone Shihori had never seen before.

"Oh-chan," she started, but didn't know what to say. She'd rushed away from her important party, away from Aiba, away from--shit, Aiba's words filtered back to her, he'd been _proposing._ "I need to sit down."

Someone stood from her chair, which she hadn't even realized was occupied. "Please, take my seat. I am so sorry we've invaded your home."

She registered a striking man with graceful deportment before her ass hit the cushion and she had to shut her eyes.

Aiba had proposed marriage. To her. That night. And she'd run away to check on her pet.

"Shihori-chan, this is Nino," Ohno prodded a cushioning thigh with the heel of his unhurt foot, "And that is Jun-chan."

She opened her eyes, and the striking man bowed, saying smoothly, "Matsumoto Jun."

The other man dipped his head politely, hair arranged becomingly around a sharp face, then said, "This idiot didn't tell us he was hurt, but when we heard, we came over to drag him to the hospital."

Ohno was looking at Shihori and didn't respond, which had Nino's voice changing to a whine.

"I had a big date tonight, you know."

Jun rolled his eyes. "Lift up, Oh-chan." He slid in under Ohno's legs and settled them back down over himself and Nino, then turned back to Shihori. "As soon as it's time for him to take his pills again, we'll leave. He's not to be trusted to remember himself."

"Am too," Ohno said, but his heart wasn't in it. His eyes were still fixed on Shihori, and finally she slid her gaze over to his. He looked worried.

She squeezed her eyes shut, praying he wouldn't ask about the fancy party--and fancy date--she'd skipped out on.

"Shihori-chan, you'd said it was okay if I had friends over..." Ohno trailed off, questioning, and she forced her eyes open again.

"Of course it is, Oh-chan. It was lovely to meet you both." She pushed up from her chair, nodding at both guests, then made her way to the door and slipped back into her stilettos. She looked back to see all three men were staring at her, but she couldn't muster any polite goodbye, so she just left.

It was time for her to have so many drinks.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shihori woke to her mouth tasting disgusting but only the slightest headache, and a little fist-pump served to express her feelings about rarely getting hangovers. Still, after brushing her teeth she went back to bed. She'd been working so much overtime lately that she didn't feel at all guilty about taking a morning off.

She stretched luxuriously, enjoying the feel of her soft sheets against her bare legs, and considered paying some attention to herself since she had some free time.

"Shihori-chan?"

Sometimes not living alone was a pain.

"Oh-chan, I'm sleeping." When his confused face stayed in her doorway, she melted, patting the bed beside her. "Come in, it's okay."

He came quickly over to the bed and curled up, careful not to touch her. Under the covers, her legs curled toward him, and she rested an arm around his shoulders.

"How's your toe, kitty-chan?"

"Hurts," he mumbled, edging closer to her. Their foreheads touched, and Shihori's eyes slipped shut. She brought her hand up to the nape of his neck, palm warm on his neck as her fingers found the familiar softness of his hair. She felt him tilt forward, just a smidgen, and her eyes flew back open.

He didn't move any closer, just held himself there with their breath mingling. His eyes were heavy-lidded as he looked at her, not asking permission but merely putting himself within her reach. Her eyes slowly closed, and her hand stroked up to cradle his head and pull him in.

Their mouths touched, sparking sweet shivers down her spine, and she pressed in closer, not about to stop at so chaste a kiss when she'd waited for so long. He parted his lips for her, and the rush of emotion had her reckless. She ran her hand down from neck to shoulder to wrist, then wrapped her fingers around him and brought his hand to her breast.

Ohno shuddered, squeezing instinctively while his mouth fell open, and she took full advantage. Their tongues brushed just as her blasted phone began to ring.

He automatically jerked away, and Shihori was seriously considering throwing her phone into the nearest body of water. His hand was still only one thin layer of fabric away from her skin, but she knew that she needed to stop now while she still could. She sighed and rolled onto her back, breaking their contact.

Ohno reached over for her phone, handing it to her, and his tight expression told her who was calling before she saw the screen.

The electric shock of remembering again that Aiba had proposed to her the night before ended her impromptu rendezvous with Ohno completely. It seemed he could see that in her face, because when she looked up from her phone, he was already to the door.

He looked back, hands clenched into fists. Shihori needed to make sure her pet never looked that sad again, but right then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't talk to Aiba, after what she'd done last night. She watched Ohno leave before calling Aiba back.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Kanjiya-san, the boss wants to see you."

Shihori looked at Takanori, confused, then sat bolt upright. The only person her boss would call _the_ boss was the executive producer of _On the Dot Japan_.

Scant minutes later she was knocking on that person's door, hoping she was moving back to News, but even more hoping she wasn't coming in to get fired.

"Kanjiya-san, good to see you again."

Shihori bowed deeply. "Takeuchi-san, I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."

Her boss's boss nodded coolly, waving for her to take a seat. The only things Shihori knew about Takeuchi Yuko were that she was ridiculously beautiful, didn't take any shit, and was the smartest person anyone in their building had ever met, if you believed office gossip.

In Takeuchi's case, Shihori did.

"I see you've applied for the opening back in News & Current Events?" Takeuchi offered Shihori a small smile, pointing to documents in front of her that must have been Shihori's résumé.

"Yes, ma'am," Shihori said confidently. She might be still finding her legs in the style section, but she had been excellent at her old job and would be just as good at this one.

"I'm sorry, Kanjiya-san, it appears Yoshida-san is going a different direction."

Shihori said, stung, "He's not even giving me an interview?"

Takeuchi said calmly, "You're in an interview right now."

Straightening up abruptly, Shihori tried not to gape at the capable person in front of her.

The producer tapped the résumé again. "For some time, my colleagues and I have been thinking that Yoshida-san's direction could easily be, well, down."

Shihori nodded, then wondered if she was supposed to defend her old boss.

"We're thinking of making a change in a month or two, Kanjiya-san. I know that you didn't want to switch departments, but I needed to know whether you could think on your feet, handle employee resentment, and generally be an outstanding employee in this company under stressful conditions."

It took all of Shihori's restraint not to jiggle with agitation in her seat. Probably sometime she should breathe.

"And I'm pleased to say that you have performed with poise and excellence. In a few weeks, I'd like you to attend a week-long conference in Kyoto, and after that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be offering you a job."

Despite herself, Shihori's jaw dropped.

With a bit of a smirk, Takeuchi clarified, "Yoshida-san's job."

"Takeuchi-san," Shihori breathed, then got herself together. "I would be honored to attend the conference and will learn as to my utmost ability so that I will be worthy of the position."

Takeuchi let her composure slip enough to show a breathtakingly lovely grin that cut off any remaining oxygen to Shihori's brain. "I trust you will. You are free to go, Kanjiya-san."

Shihori stood on shaking legs and bowed again, then escaped to the hallway to jump up and down with wild abandon.

"Shihori-chan?"

Whirling, Shihori gasped at finding Aiba, who looked taken aback at her display of emotion, but also pleased. That he would be pleased for her without even knowing why she was happy made Shihori's heart hurt. He was wonderful, and she wasn't sure she loved him.

"Aiba-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Someone about this tall with a bad attitude told me that if I waited here, I'd see you."

Ryo-chan, Shihori thought with amusement, having grown fond of the foul-mouthed, awkward underling.

She focused completely on the man in front of her. "Aiba-chan, I'm so sorry about last night."

"Is your pet all right, Shihori-chan?" he asked anxiously, and her heart twinged again.

"He is, he just hurt his--his paw. He's fine, I should have just called--" she cut herself off, remembering that cats don't usually answer the phone, and finished, "A neighbor to check on him. I'm sorry, Aiba-chan."

He came closer, then brushed her cheek with his hand. She wanted to tell him all about her huge news, but she wanted to tell Keiko first. If she wanted to tell Ohno right after that, she didn't let herself dwell on it.

"Shihori, did you hear, um, what I was saying last night?" Aiba asked awkwardly.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Yes, Aiba-chan, and I'm very grateful."

"Grateful?"

"I mean..." Shihori cast about for better words, not willing to express her doubts when she didn't know her own feelings yet. "I'd be grateful for some time. To think things over."

"Of course," Aiba said immediately, though he looked crestfallen. Then he brightened with visible effort and produced something from behind his back. "I got you a present!"

Shihori let go of Aiba's hand to take the small bag, then rustled around inside to pull out a collar.

"You said your Oh-chan is fat so I got the biggest size. And look, it has fish on it, sparkly fish!"

She laughed, bending over and clutching her knees for support.

"You like it?"

Still grinning, she straightened and looked Aiba right in the eye. He looked tentative and so very sweet.

"It's perfect."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After Aiba's thoughtful present, combined with her guilt about putting off answering his proposal, Shihori hadn't been able to tell him no--yet again--when he asked to meet her pet.

Her confused romantic feelings were high on her list of things to stomp on when she found herself over at Keiko's, having led with her exciting promotion news and followed up by wheedling to borrow her cat.

Keiko had been so happy for Shihori that she'd teared up, and they'd spent several minutes just clinging to one another, both triumphant over Shihori's victory. After that, her best friend didn't lecture her for too long about lying to Aiba, though she made a face that said it took some effort.

She'd also mentioned that she'd have some big news soon herself, and when Shihori had tried to weasel the news out of her, she replied only not to imagine it had anything to do with babies. Then she'd handed over Ace, the family cat, and enough cat accompaniments to make it look believable for Aiba.

In the elevator up to her floor, Shihori told Ace firmly, "Your name is Oh-chan now. _Oh-chan._ "

She found her actual pet in his room, though he would only open the door a crack. When he heard that Aiba was coming over to meet her friend's cat, he'd rolled his eyes, but didn't make a fuss.

"I'll stay in here, I have things to do anyway."

Shihori didn't want to put any pressure on their fragile balance, so she let that go, though she'd have felt better if he were out of the apartment completely. She put the sparkly fish collar on Ace, wishing the cat were bigger and meaner instead of medium-sized and extremely faint of heart, and went to spread the toys and bed and bag of food around her apartment.

When Aiba arrived, Shihori arranged the cat on his bed near the window, trying to make it look like somewhere he slept every day, then went to let her boyfriend in.

He had a box of treats and a winning expression, and she giggled, not having seen him turn his full charm on anyone but her. Ace looked extremely dubious.

"Oh-chan, your collar looks so nice on you; I brought you some treats; if you let me pick you up, I'll give you something tasty," Aiba sing-songed, getting closer and closer to the wary cat. Before Shihori could stop him, he swooped Ace up into his arms, cooing to him, and she put her face in her hands, because--

"Oh shit," Aiba said, hastily putting the cat back down.

Shihori held out her hand for his pee-soaked shirt. "Let me wash that for you, Aiba-chan."

He shrugged it off, and she took it gingerly, then looked past it to see her first real view of her boyfriend's body.

He cocked his head at her curiously. "Shihori-chan?" His arms were so long and well-muscled, his shoulders broad, and the unexpected birthmark only added to his beauty.

Then he was closer, murmuring her name, and she knew she shouldn't kiss him while she was still muddled about Ohno, but Aiba was magnetic. At the last second, she remembered kissing her pet that very morning, and instinctively pulled away.

"I'll wash this for you." As soon as she'd thrown it in the washer and come back, there was a crash from down the hall and series of loud curses.

She smiled weakly at Aiba. "My ... my cousin is here, did I not say?"

Ohno emerged, looking both sheepish and defiant, his pants splattered in blue paint. Shihori suppressed a scolding at the way he'd ruined the pajamas she'd bought for him and waved him into the living room, wincing at his limp.

"Aiba-chan, this is my cousin, whose name is ... Satoshi-kun, and Satoshi-kun, this is Aiba Masaki, my--" With Ohno looking directly at her, eyes challenging, Shihori's courage failed.

"Her boyfriend," Aiba finished, beaming at Ohno. "So nice to meet family of Shihori's!"

Ohno grunted, and Shihori felt her face turn crimson.

"My cousin's side of the family is known for their utter lack of manners," she snapped, and Aiba blinked at her, startled by her bite.

Ohno just scowled at her, then left.

"I'm sure he's going to wash up." Shihori realized she shouldn't make it sound like Ohno was coming back, so she added, "And then paint some more, probably, so we should, um..."

"If your cousin will lend me a shirt, we could go dancing," Aiba suggested, eyes sparkling.

She couldn't hold back a smile at Aiba's eagerness, though all she really wanted to do was change into her pajamas and maybe go to a manga cafe, if that.

"I'm no dancer, Aiba-chan, but we can go to dinner. I'll ask my cousin for a shirt."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After that night, Aiba gave her some time as promised. However, work got busier, her hours got longer, and her pet was home so infrequently that she found it difficult to sit down and really think about Aiba.

She approached her job with redoubled enthusiasm after her meeting with Takeuchi, and it finally seemed like even if she had to stay in Style, she had a place there that she had earned. She'd overheard Ryo and Erika defending her to someone from Karina's team one day and hadn't been able to stop smiling for hours. Even Takanori had admitted she'd done good work of late, though he'd tacked on an unnecessary warning about not letting it all go to shit.

When she got home, Ohno was rarely there. He'd given her a ticket for his stageplay, which was in less than two weeks, and it seemed like all he did was go to work, rehearsals, or just anywhere that wasn't home. At least that was how it felt to Shihori, who was feeling the strain of not having her pet around. Sometimes when she ate dinner alone, it was entirely clear how she felt. Then she'd see him again, and they'd be so careful to act as master and pet without romantic implications, and she wasn't sure she wanted to risk what they had in search of something deeper.

One night Aiba sent her a message, hoping they could get together, and she told him she was working late. She purposefully came home early and made a nice dinner for Ohno, rooting him on for his stageplay, but got no response to any of her mails. She sat by herself, looking at the candles and his favorite curry, and wondered what she was doing.

Then she realized she hadn't seen him yesterday either. She could remember bumping into him in the morning the day before that, but it was much longer than they'd ever gone without seeing each other, and suddenly Shihori panicked.

She strode to the fridge, grabbing her ticket to his play off of it, then did a search for the name of the theater on her laptop. It wasn't very far away, and Shihori grabbed her bag and headed out to find her pet.

As she walked up the stone steps to the theater's doors, she met Nino coming down, who grinned at her and pointed behind him before skipping on down to the sidewalk. Entering the lobby, she almost ran into Jun, who bowed politely, then gestured down a dim hallway with an expression of satisfaction.

She found her pet in a dark rehearsal room with mirrors all along one wall. He was tucked into a corner, fast asleep.

After a few firm nudges from her foot, his eyes stopped drooping long enough to see who was bothering him.

"Shii-chan?" he said drowsily, and she turned gruff to cover her aching affection.

"Where the hell have you been? You don't come home, you don't answer your phone."

Ohno was starting to wake up, his gaze disconcertingly penetrating. "You were worried."

"I was not," she protested, and then he was on his knees, arms around her waist as he clung to her devotedly. She petted him, having missed him too much to pretend not to care, then dragged him up to his feet.

"Come home, Oh-chan. I made curry."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The next night Shihori's time to think was up, because she and Aiba had a long-planned date to the opera.

She was all dolled up and waiting in front of the enormous building, watching all the people go by without a glimpse of Aiba.

Half an hour later, she wasn't watching any people go by, because they were already inside watching the show. She was trying to be practical about the whole thing, because there were a million reasons why Aiba wouldn't show up for a date, but at the moment she could only think that he was letting her know just what he thought of her wishy-washy behavior of late, and just when she'd made up her mind.

She'd forgotten her phone, too, so she was stuck there, wondering if he'd be there any minute, and then she saw the pay-phone across the street. Aiba was an hour late by her estimate, and her eyes were welling up, but she ignored this and started for the phone.

Of course, she couldn't remember Aiba's number, but she dredged up Ohno's and dialed it in, hoping against reason that he wouldn't be busy. She felt like she was on the verge of breaking down if one more thing went wrong.

He answered. Just the sound of his comforting voice had her crying, and she leaned her head against the glass of the booth and gave one painful sob before tamping down on the rest.

"Where are you, Shihori-chan?"

She registered that he was out of breath, that he didn't ask why she was calling, and then she turned and he was there.

He stood on the other side of the street, where she'd been supposed to meet Aiba. As soon as he saw her, he started across, breaking into a jog, and she hung up the phone and made her way out to him.

Then he had her in his arms, pressing her head onto his shoulder, and she held on tight, not caring about anything but the tangible warmth of him right there. He backed away to brush the tears off her cheeks and gave her a lopsided grin.

"You forgot your phone."

She laughed, sniffling a bit, and he handed it over. There were twenty missed calls, all from Aiba, and she checked her voicemail to find a confusing message, the gist of which was that he wasn't coming.

It made her feel better and more wretched all at once. She sent some sort of vague message back so he'd stop calling, then turned off her phone.

"Come on," Ohno said, tugging her hand. "You're so pretty and we're already out, let's get something to eat."

They ate takoyaki from a vendor in a nearby park, sitting on the ledge of a fountain and mocking each other's preferences in food. He convinced her to dip her aching feet into the water, then joined her, and they splashed and bumped each other's shoulders. Then he dried her feet on his jeans and knelt in front of her, carefully slipping her feet back into her heels, and she stared at him, hoping she didn't fall back into the fountain from surprise.

She took his arm as they walked through the park, children running past followed by calling parents, couples all around eating their street food, groups of friends giggling together and taking up all the good benches.

When the music started, Shihori thought for a moment that it was a dream. Just as she saw the string quartet on the other side of the fountain, she tripped on a broken slab of pavement. Ohno caught her, and though he snickered at her near miss, her heart skipped a beat.

He seemed to sense her mood and raised her back upright slowly, leaving her wishing he'd dip his head already and kiss her.

Instead he said, "Dance with me?"

She couldn't help it: she laughed at him.

He laughed at himself, too, face crinkling happily, but then turned to face her and waited like she was going to say yes.

She wrinkled her brow at him. "I'm seriously not dancing with you."

"Why not?"

"I don't dance. I'm no good at it, I don't enjoy it, and these shoes hurt my feet. Can we go home already?"

Shaking his head, he gave in, holding his arm out for her to take again. Instead she took his hand, lacing their fingers together, and pulled him along, feeling like staying in this sappy, bewitching, takoyaki-scented dream was unwise.

They shouldn't have walked the whole way, though, given her shoes, and halfway home she was limping. He was limping, too, his toe still not healed, but he turned, letting go of her hand to offer his back.

"No more joking, Oh-chan," she whined, punching him lightly.

He just stood there, grinning at her with that dopey expression, and finally she clambered on, arms over his shoulders and legs around his waist. She held her shoes, and he held under her knees, and his limp deepened but he didn't complain.

By the time they were home, she was tired of restraint. Once their shoes were off, she pushed him against the wall and leaned in, pausing for a moment to make sure he wanted her, too, then kissed him.

It was like before, but better, because this time she had no intention of stopping. She pushed closer, wanting to feel him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her so that they were chest to chest. She tried to wrap her legs around him, but the wall prevented that, so she made a frustrated noise into his mouth until he hoisted her up higher by her hips, then turned to press her against the wall. Her ankles crossed behind his back as she moaned her appreciation, breaking away from his mouth to bite at his jaw.

She could feel him getting more and more interested as he thrust shallowly against her, pulling her hips to his in a promise, but even if she couldn't, his eagerness told her everything. His hands felt like they were everywhere, his mouth caught hers at every opportunity, and every few seconds he'd gasp out a laugh, like he couldn't believe this was happening. It made affection rise warm in her chest, and then she was laughing, pulling his shirt up to get her hands on his skin. He wedged a thigh between hers and let her slide down a bit to rest there, each movement of his hips giving her blessed friction. She scratched her nails down his spine as he brought his hands to her breasts, and her head thunked back hard against the wall. It felt like he was speaking to her with his hands, letting her know just how much he wanted her, his fingers pressing and fluttering against her dress. She pulled it down as far as she could, then cursed herself for wearing a bra, but he took the hint and slid one hand down and in, fingertips finding her nipple.

Ohno's hips were moving in earnest now, and she spared a thought to think they should find her bed before she felt the friction start sending tingles to her belly, where they pooled and ached and had her thrusting back against him, wanting him inside her, wanting--and then he groaned loudly, whole frame jerking for a tense second.

"Shit," he muttered, and Shihori realized what had happened. She was a frustrated combination of aroused and disappointed, because it was hot that he'd wanted her so much that he couldn't hold himself back, but her experience was that after something like this, a guy usually escaped and didn't return. She held him as he trembled against her, not wanting to let go just yet.

He eased away, just barely, to let her slide down and stand on her own shaky legs. His head plunked down on the soft part of her shoulder, and he huffed, sounding amused and mortified.

"Wanted you so long. Let me make it up to you?"

For a moment she wasn't sure he meant sexually and wildly imagined him doing the laundry or washing the dishes, but then he dropped a sharp-edged kiss on her neck and sank to his knees.

She nearly panicked, caught off-guard, but then she realized he wasn't moving. He had his hands on her calves as he looked up at her, eyes dark on hers, but he was waiting.

She trusted him. She wanted him.

After a minute, he said, "Please," but she was already opening her mouth to say yes.

His hands slid up, lifting her dress, and he dropped kisses on the softness of her thighs. She felt him bite down sharply and then his fingers were on her, pressing lightly through her cotton underwear.

"Don't tease," she said breathlessly, and he chuckled. She put her hands in his hair, petting as usual before grabbing on and bringing his mouth where she wanted it.

This time when he laughed, she could _feel_ it. She growled at him, and he obligingly licked a stripe along her panties, making them even wetter than they already were, then hooked his fingers in the waistband and pulled them down. She stepped out of them, too turned on to be shy, and pulled her dress up with one hand while the other palmed his head to get him back in place.

It didn't seem like he needed any direction, though, because now that she was bare, he didn't hesitate. He pressed against her clitoris, first with a sweet peck from his lips and then more firmly with his tongue, and she shivered, free hand finding his shoulder and clutching hard. He started stroking her over and over, hands trailing up to find and hold her hips as she started to lose the will to stay in place.

He licked down, then in, nose nudging against her, and then one hand slid down so that a finger could take the place of his tongue, and just as she was shuddering from the feeling, he put his mouth back and sucked gently on her clit, finger curling inside her. She moaned, hips thrashing, and he added another finger, normally lazy tongue pulsing relentlessly. Just as everything was almost too much, he laid his tongue flat and added a third finger, crooking them repeatedly inside her so it felt like she was hanging over the edge, the sensation having her panting, so close, suspended in the sweetest part of an orgasm right before--he flicked his tongue against her and then set up a steady rhythm as she exhaled brokenly, spasming around his fingers as her hips jerked and her legs went boneless.

He wrapped an arm around her legs to hold her upright, fingers still moving inside her as she rode out the shocks, and nosed against her happily.

She was sweaty and tired and utterly content, though her legs were shaking so much that without his arm she'd have been on the floor. He took his fingers away, and she looked down beatifically to see his face was slick from her, which gave her a rush of satisfaction. In the next horrified moment, she saw... stuck on his cheek, a short hair...

She was involuntarily working up to feeling irrationally ashamed when he said hoarsely, "You're perfect."

He was so sincere that she forgot to worry about anything except getting her hands on him again.

"Oh-chan, take me to bed."

Ohno obeyed.

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[Part Two Art](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/graphics/astray_part2.jpg)


	3. Chapter 3

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The next morning when Shihori woke up, she was sore and sticky, her pet wrapped around her cozily. Neither of them had bothered to get up to put on pajamas, and Ohno's hand was on her hip, possibly right over the finger-shaped bruises she was sure had formed from their prolonged, extremely satisfying activities of the night before.

Ohno was twitching a little, a silly grin on his face that had her sure he was dreaming of her, and she was considering waking him up to show him she was better than any fantasy when she realized two things. One, she hadn't exactly stopped to set an alarm when Ohno had tumbled her into bed last night, so she was going to be late for work. Two... well, the second thing wasn't so easily put into words, but it was a gut-punch of a feeling that included the name _Aiba._

Shihori didn't regret what she'd done, but she regretted not realizing what she'd wanted sooner so that she could have spared Aiba's feelings. It was going to be hard to untangle the mess she'd made, but she gave herself a moment, just one, to relish the feeling of lying in bed with someone she loved, naked and unashamed.

As if sensing this was the moment upon which to intrude, a voice made itself heard in her apartment, one she recognized as Aiba's. She wondered if this was a nightmare, then tried to shout for him to stay where he was, but her throat was dry and only a rasp emerged.

Her bedroom door stood open, and she could hear Aiba call as he came closer and closer, "I'm sorry to intrude, I bribed your landlord for the code, and you know him, he's so cranky, but--"

Then Aiba stood in the doorway, staring at his girlfriend and another man in bed, nude but for a sheet. He had an enormous bouquet of flowers in his arms and he was wearing a suit, clearly coming to make a grand gesture of apology for the night before.

With all the things she should have said, the only thing Shihori could think to blurt out was, "He's not my cousin."

"I'm really not," Ohno said smugly, and she shot him a look of scorn for his poor taste.

"Shihori-chan?" Aiba said, looking lost, and she blinked back tears, feeling her regrets multiply exponentially at the sight of his devastated face.

"I'm sorry. Aiba-chan, I'm so sorry--"

"You said you needed time," he said, face twisting. "I asked you to marry me, and you haven't even answered yet--though I guess this answers that, doesn't it."

Ohno looked at Shihori, expression wounded, and she squeezed her eyes shut, loathing her past indecision for leading them to this scene.

"He asked you to marry him?"

Aiba was oblivous, saying, "I guess we never said we were exclusive. Do I even have the right to get mad? I'm an idiot, just assuming on my own that we had something special, something ours, so stupid--" He dropped his arms, flowers going everywhere, and a small box hit the floor and bounced.

Then he left.

Shihori's tears spilled over, then she noticed that Ohno was out of bed and getting dressed.

"Were you going to say yes?" he asked, so bitter that she recoiled.

"I didn't know," she said honestly. "I know now--"

"Yeah, I can see you're pretty upset." He yanked his shirt over his head, then looked down at her with his gaze locked cuttingly on her face. "Go after him then, make up with him, say yes."

"Oh-chan," she started, tears drying up. "Don't make this into--"

"Just go," he shouted, suddenly losing his control. "Now that you're done playing around with me, you can go marry your boyfriend and quit your job and have babies, congratulations."

"I'm not doing any of that," she yelled back, standing up with the sheet wrapped around herself so she wouldn't just lie there taking his shit. "Don't assume you know what's going on just because you're angry."

It was right then that she realized she hadn't even told him about her promised promotion, and it hit her with a wave of sadness that she might never have the chance.

"I'm leaving." He stalked to the door, then turned back. "I won't die if you don't take care of me. It's not like I have nowhere better to go."

She flinched back, then stepped forward, unwilling to back down. "Really? Then go! It'll be fine if you go."

He left, slamming the door behind him.

She'd thought it might be like last time, that he'd say he'd be back despite his fury, but instead he was just gone. She wanted to sink to the floor and weep, but instead she got dressed. She was late for work.

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When Shihori got home from work that night, Ohno's stuff was gone, down to the very last tube of paint. The only thing he'd left was his toothbrush, on which she'd written "Oh-chan" for him within a week of taking him in.

She didn't have time to break down, because she'd made plans, after a great deal of pleading, to meet up with Aiba.

They sat on a bench outside her building, quiet, and the sunny skies seemed to mock Shihori.

Finally she said, "I'm sorry, Aiba-chan. I didn't plan for that to happen, and I really did need time. I think if you'd shown up last night, I would have worked up to telling you that I don't want to marry you, but Oh-chan came instead--"

"Oh-chan?" Aiba said, a strange look on his face, but he let it go. "This morning... well, I was upset, I _am_ upset, but I didn't come last night because I ran into Becky."

Shihori goggled, not having seen that coming, and Aiba chuckled ruefully.

"I was so upset afterward, I just couldn't come see you. I came by this morning as if some flowers and a ring could make up for how much just one word from Becky had me reeling."

After a minute, Shihori said, "I don't think we're meant to be together, Aiba-chan. I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner."

"Me too," he said sadly, looking at his hands.

She said hesitantly, "Do you need to talk about Becky-san?"

He looked up at her with shock and said, "I wouldn't ask you to do that, no matter how mad I was! Though if I could with anyone, I could with you. I love that I can say anything to you, and you'll still be so gentle and supportive."

Abruptly, Shihori snapped. "Aiba-chan, I'm not gentle, for fuck's sake."

He gaped at her.

She stood up so that she could loom over him. "I had a crush on you ever since the day we met, so I behaved like a blithering fool, okay? But me, the real me, doesn't want to go to the zoo every week and definitely doesn't want to go bungee-jumping. And when you speak English to Japanese waiters at a French restaurant, the real me would slap you upside the head."

He was laughing now, so she thought she hadn't made herself clear, but then he said, "Ah, Shihori-chan, that makes so much sense! Sometimes you would look at me like you would rather eat a pine-cone than listen to me going on about my plans for our dates, but then you always said yes so sweetly, so I thought I must be imagining things."

"Well, you weren't," she said grumpily, sitting back down.

"Ever since we met?" he said slyly.

She made a cranky noise, but said, "I came out of the bathroom in the biology building and my skirt was stuck in my underwear in the back."

He made a pensive face, trying to remember.

"You didn't want to embarrass me while there were so many other people around, so you took off your pants and walked behind me the whole way to my dorm. Not a single person realized my butt was showing."

"Ah, that was you?" Aiba exclaimed, face merry. When she glared at him, he laughed. "It was warm that day anyway, it was good to air out my bits!"

She smacked him on the forehead, and he beamed at her.

After a moment she dropped her eyes, sighing. "Shit, Aiba-chan, we made such a mess of things."

"It will be all right," he said confidently.

His brash surety based on nothing had her lips quirking. "You know, Aiba-chan, since we're being honest..."

He leaned close, eyes wide, clearly ready to hear whatever she had to say.

"The next rebound you have, probably don't ask her to marry you."

He stared at her for a moment, then tossed his head back and guffawed. "You really are mean, aren't you, Shihori-chan?"

"That's right," she said, though she was smiling.

His face smoothed, and he leaned in again. "I have something to say to you, too," he said solemnly.

His twinkling eyes had her squinting suspiciously. "Say it."

"I think you and your cousin are meant to be."

She elbowed him in the ribs, then laughed, though her heart hurt at the mere mention of Ohno. They were quiet a moment, and when Shihori chanced a look over, she saw that Aiba's eyes were wet.

"Aiba-chan..."

"It's all right," he managed, trying to smile. "I just need a while. You weren't my rebound, you know."

She looked at him, aching, then nodded. "You're wonderful, Aiba-chan, don't forget it."

He kissed her hand, then walked away steadily while she cried.

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The next week was a lonely one for Shihori. She missed Aiba more than she'd expected, but it was a regretting sort of ache for the mistakes they'd made. She felt like they could have been amazing friends if her old crush hadn't blinded her, though she thought saying that to Aiba now would only be salt in the wound.

Much more than missing Aiba, she missed her pet. She tried not to think about it, but every time she came home she'd hope Ohno was there, and every time she left in the morning, she'd think maybe it was the day he'd come back.

It was almost time to leave for her week-long conference in Kyoto, and all she could think was what if he came home and she wasn't there. She debated putting a note on the door, but she wasn't sure she could handle coming home to find the note untouched, unneeded.

Then she realized she didn't have to wait for him to come back, because she had a ticket, one that would get her in to see him.

The date on the ticket was the day before she left for Kyoto. With that in mind, she focused all her energy on work, making sure every task she was given was completed perfectly, and seeing her friends, with whom she'd not had enough time during the past chaotic month. Yuriko was planning a trip to Okinawa and wanted Karina and Shihori to come along, which Shihori hoped would be doable with her new job. Karina was moving in with her mystery boyfriend, who she'd gone so far as to say was _the one._ From the practical Karina, this was mushy stuff indeed.

Shihori met up with Keiko several times, though her best friend remained cagey about the big news forthcoming. Shihori had finally spilled everything about Ohno, every last feeling that she could put into words, and Keiko hadn't judged, just held her, let her talk it out, and offered a place to stay if Shihori needed a break from the home she'd shared with Ohno. This made Shihori cry harder, but gratefully, and it was this that inspired her to coax Keiko into coming with her to Kyoto.

First, however, she had a play to attend.

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Her pet on stage was another person entirely. He didn't have a huge part, with only a few lines, but whenever he was dancing, he shone. It seemed like no matter the context, the choreographers had him front and center, and she couldn't blame them. His sinuous, captivating dancing would have stood out from any position.

Whenever he wasn't visible, she tried to follow the plot, though it lost her several times. The characters, however, were easy to invest in, because the troupe had two strong leading actors breathing life into every line. Jun was the villain at first, then grew into a hero through trials and epiphany, and Nino started as the audience's eyes, then became someone twisted and calculating, a process terrifying to watch.

Then Ohno would come on again, and Shihori would lose the thread. When he was on stage, she didn't look at anyone else.

After the play ended, after the encores, after most of the audience had left, Shihori clutched her bouquet and waited for Ohno. He emerged at last, huddled between Nino and Jun, who each had an arm around his shoulders. Ohno was hobbling along, toe surely killing him, but all three looked giddy and triumphant, and Shihori smiled, imagining surprising Ohno with congratulations.

It seemed she wasn't the only one with that idea, though, because as soon as the actors hit the lobby, they were swarmed with adoring fans. Nino and Jun received most of the love, but Shihori saw Ohno sign several autographs as well, and her heart swelled with pride.

Abruptly, she wondered what she'd say to him _after_ congratulations. She knew the first two words, because she'd been wanting to ask him to come home since he'd slammed the door behind him, but after that? Would she ask him to be her pet again, or would she say she wanted to date him? Did she even know which one she wanted more?

As the crowd passed her, Shihori ducked behind a pillar, heart pounding. She didn't know, and before she could talk to Ohno, she had to figure it out.

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Bringing Keiko along to Kyoto was a good choice for both of them. Keiko needed some time away from home, just to recharge her batteries, and Shihori had her fill of being alone for a while. It seemed Keiko had no qualms about leaving Sho and Sora by themselves for a week, which warmed Shihori's heart, imagining the newscaster and little girl getting along swimmingly.

During the days, Shihori was extremely busy, rushing around to seminars and learning as much as she could, but she and her best friend ate every meal together, and at night they'd stay in and watch bad movies and giggle together on their queen-sized bed, drinking too much wine when Shihori had an early morning but not caring.

One night they were mocking, and adoring, a romantic comedy they'd seen a hundred times, when Keiko flipped over on her back and shouted, a wordless, happy yell.

Shihori stared at her, then poked her in the armpit. "What, what?"

Keiko rolled onto her side and looked joyfully at Shihori. "It's sure now, Shii-chan, as of today. Sho's transferring."

This didn't seem like such exciting news to Shihori, so she made a questioning noise, prepared to be happy for Keiko if she just understood why.

Her best friend clutched her arm and shook until Shihori's head bounced on the mattress. "From foreign correspondent to local politics; it means he'll be home! All the time, not off in New York or Russia or Canada or whatever, he'll be home, every day, all the time--"

She broke off, eyes widening, then said more realistically, "I'll probably be sick of him in a month, but oh, it'll be so nice to be sick of him, Shii-chan, really."

Shihori was bouncing of her own volition now, eyes shining. She knew how hard it had been on Keiko, married to a man she adored who wasn't in Japan two-thirds of the time, and she hadn't even known Sho was considering switching jobs.

"Have you told Sora-chan yet?"

"Not yet, we wanted to make sure it would be approved. And it's perfect timing, I'm getting more hours at work now, Shii-chan, though I know it's not much of a job, but--"

"Kei-chan of the Kitagawa clan, you are following your dreams, and I am so proud of you. It takes guts to go back to work from being a stay-at-home mom."

"Look at us," Keiko said, wriggling ecstatically on the bed. "We are adults for real, except not boring, and we are fucking _making_ our dreams come true."

"We are awesome," Shihori agreed solemnly. "Our awesomeness calls for another bottle of wine."

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When Shihori returned to Tokyo, everything moved quickly, and before she knew it, the morning came when she'd be starting her new job. Erika had gotten Shihori's old job, and had unbent so far as to hug Shihori on her last day in Style, though she'd pointedly straightened her clothes afterward. Ryo, to Shihori's everlasting shock, had cried.

And now here she was, in her most serious suit and chic flats, standing in front of many of the people she'd worked with not six months previously, this time as their new boss. Some of them looked resentful, others proud, still others looked like they were praying she didn't make a speech, and Shihori smiled.

She bowed as low as she could and said, "Please take care of me."

Then she got to work, full of ideas, enthusiasm, and confidence.

It carried over. Her walk home was brisk and bouncy, and dinner was much more cheerful than it had been since before her pet had left.

She sat down after with a pad of paper and a pencil. Then she changed her mind and called her mother.

Right off she said, "I'm in love with a man whom I want to date, but I also want him to be my pet."

After saying that out loud, the confident bubble in her chest deflated, but her mom only paused for a second before saying, "A human man?"

Shihori rolled her eyes. "Yes, mama, a human man."

"Well, go get him, then, if he makes you happy. I've got to go, sweetie, I think the meat is burning."

Laughing, a bit choked up, Shihori grumbled, "Go on, then, I'll talk to you soon."

She was about hang up when she heard her mom say, "Ah, Ricchan? I wouldn't be using the word pet with your father. His ticker isn't what it used to be, you know."

"I love you, mama."

Shihori took up her paper and wrote, _I am awesome. I deserve to be happy. I trust myself._ She smiled, tapping her pencil on the paper, then grabbed her bag and ran to the door.

She had a pet to find.

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Shihori started at the convenience store at which Ohno worked, not wanting to resort to something that wasn't face-to-face unless she had to.

Maru was as sweet as ever, telling her he'd missed her before flailing into a joke she didn't understand, but he said Ohno was on indefinite leave, possibly not coming back. Shihori thanked him, throwing in a 'paaaaan' for good measure, and headed to the theater.

Jun didn't look any too pleased to see her this time, grumbling about her breaking Ohno's heart, and Nino was downright scary.

"He went to New York. He'll be gone a year, get over it so he can, too."

Jun snorted and started to walk away, and Shihori felt her heart speed up so fast she thought it might explode. Ohno couldn't be gone for a year, that was impossible. She'd only just figured out how much she couldn't stand to lose him, and now...

She tossed all of her pragmatism out the window. "I'm going to New York, then, and I'm not giving up." She turned to rush out, but Jun caught her elbow.

They were both staring at her consideringly, but it was Nino who spoke. "You're going to the airport, then?" When Shihori nodded resolutely, he got out his phone. "I'll call you a cab."

She tried to ask where in New York Ohno was, but Jun and Nino were bundling her out the door, telling her to wait at the bus stop and her cab would be there.

Shihori waited, whole body shaking with adrenaline. She was going to find Ohno. She was going to find her pet and bring him home. The nerve of him, leaving for a whole year without even saying goodbye; she would comb New York from top to bottom until she found him and put a collar on so that he couldn't--

"Shihori-chan?"

She turned slowly, finding the fluffy spikes of hair to match the voice. The round cheeks, the dark eyes, even the ripped jeans were familiar. The leather jacket was new, but it suited him.

"Oh-chan." She stared at him, the beloved figure of him, the person who was most assuredly right in front of her. "I thought you were in New York?"

He shrugged, a tense jerk of one shoulder. "I missed rice."

She didn't know what to say first, so she blurted out, "I got a promotion; today was my first day as the head director of News."

His eyes warmed immediately, and he automatically started forward, but then he stopped and said awkwardly, "Shihori-san, congratulations. You deserve it."

Silence stretched between them, then Ohno cleared his throat. "I was coming to see you, Nino called me a cab. I promised you'd get the first invitation."

He held out a small card with both hands, and she took it delicately. "A show... an art show?"

"Nara Yoshitomo-san's manager saw me working on the side of a building and brought me in to meet him. I've been working hard to get enough pieces for a show," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"But here? Not New York?" She wanted to touch him. She wanted to start forward and just grab him tight and never let go.

"Nara-san's show was in New York, mine is here. It's my first show after all."

"Oh-chan." She clenched her hands and forced herself to meet his eyes. "Oh-chan, come home."

He blinked, surprised. "I said that I was?"

"No, come home to stay. Come back and be my pet, and also--"

She stepped forward until she could reach out and lay a hand on his chest, thin t-shirt not masking the warmth of his skin. She didn't think there were words for what she wanted him to be, but she wanted to find them and say the perfect thing.

He waited a moment, then stepped even closer and said, "I love you."

Her breath shuddered out, and she said, "I love you, too. Come home."

He took her hand and pointed with it. "I think that's my cab."

"Our cab," she said. "Your friends are weasels."

He said, "Ah, that's true," and then he gathered her up against him, and she squeezed him tightly, getting started on not letting go.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~>~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[Part Three Art](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/graphics/astray_part3.png)


	4. Chapter 4

::::::::: two minutes later ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

They held hands in the cab, and she couldn't believe she wasn't dreaming. She told him about her new job, gesturing to her suit so he could see how very important she was, and he told her about his show, about how he'd painted every single piece in her spare bedroom and didn't think he could paint anywhere else.

It felt like nothing had changed, like he was coming home to be her pet again. She looked up at him fondly, then dropped her eyes to his mouth. Some things had changed for the better, and she didn't hesitate to command, "Kiss me."

He didn't hesitate to do so, and afterward he hugged her again, though not so quickly that she didn't see his eyes shining.

He mumbled, "I was going to throw myself on your mercy, Shihori-chan, I was going to say I'd be whatever you wanted, as long as you let me stay."

She held him, stroking his hair, and then they were home.

They went up together in the elevator, just like the first night he'd come to see her place, and now she knew that his worn-out jeans and messy hair didn't mean he wasn't dedicated about the things that mattered to him.

"I came to see your stageplay, and now you have your own exhibition. I am so proud of you, Oh-chan."

His lips quirked in the shiny metal of the elevator doors. "I get a treat?"

She was about to promise a special dinner when she saw him glance at her, smiling, so she leaned up to kiss him instead.

When she finally got her door open, he hesitated. She caught her breath, wondering if he was having second thoughts.

Finally he gestured at the threshold. "Aren't you supposed to carry me in?"

She looked at him disbelievingly. "Where the hell is that coming from?"

He gestured again, more urgently. "You know, romance. Or ownership. Something like that."

When she just rolled her eyes, he began to complain that he'd piggy-backed her for blocks on a broken toe, so she huffed and turned, offering her back, and then he was in, barely resting on her for a second before his feet touched down on the other side of the door.

"You are ridiculous," she said, but she was grinning.

They ended up on their couch, their worn-in, loved-on couch, and everything was comfortable as they fit themselves back together. Then he dropped to his knees in front of her.

She had a scorching memory of that night against the wall in the entryway, but it was like cold water was dashed over her as she freaked out at the idea that he might be doing something else entirely.

He kissed her knee, and she exhaled at last. "Thank fuck, I thought you might be proposing."

"What... I'm not--marriage?" He looked so sweetly befuddled that she had to go to her knees as well to embrace him, squeezing his strong shoulders and feeling affectionate and turned on and in love.

His arms came up around her easily, but after a moment he said, "But someday, if I do... I couldn't marry anyone but you."

She chuckled, though her heart was full. "A pet and a husband? That would be something to see."

He shrugged, then backed away, and she saw his mouth was twisted obstinately. "You're lots of things to me already. Besides, labels... I'm yours, isn't that all--"

"You're mine," Shihori repeated, thinking it over, but it felt so right that she said it again, this time with certainty. "You're mine."

Those words had him giving up his cross mien and looking quietly besotted instead.

"We'll make the other stuff up as we go along," she said, leaning in to kiss away the last traces of his pout.

"Besides, all that really matters--" he cut off, tongue stumbling as she got closer, and she made a motion as if she were impatient, and then he finished, "--is that you let me stay; I told you I can't paint anywhere else."

She inhaled sharply, considering a headbutt to his face. "Say things like that and you don't get curry."

He smiled, moving closer with an expression that had her ascribing absolutely no value to his last words. "I don't need curry."

"Well, good," she murmured, then brushed a kiss on his cheek. "I won't have any time for cooking tonight."

He pulled her up before pressing her into the couch, pleasantly heavy on top of her as he started to kiss her neck. It felt good, it felt better than good, but she wished she were strong enough to switch their positions, because she wanted to show him just how much she'd missed him.

After a breathless moment, she realized she was plenty capable of it already.

"Oh-chan, I want to be on top."

He was as obliging as ever, moving quickly to get beneath her on the couch without either of them falling off. She remembered his strength with a thrill all the way to her toes, and then he was pliant underneath her, eyes hot on hers. He brought his hands up over his head to offer himself to her completely.

"Please take care of me."

Shihori looked forward to doing just that.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: two months later :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"I'm home!"

Her pet slid into view, arms full of cushions. "Welcome home!"

Shihori came to scratch behind his ears fondly before looking at their apartment, making sure he'd followed her instructions. She nodded at everything in sight and checked off a mental list. She had her normal table, plus the kitchen counter, plus the kotatsu in the living room that she'd borrowed from her parents. There were drinks on the counter, and an array of vegetables, meat, dumplings, and sauces covered the table, all surrounding an electric hotpot already filled with water, just waiting to be turned on.

The kotatsu was bare, but she expected it would be the main attraction for some anyway, going by the way Ohno refused to consider that they ever had to give it back.

The lazy pet in question came into view, bringing out more cushions to put on the floor, and she rewarded him with a kiss.

He pointed at his neck after, brow furrowing. "Collar on or off, Shihori-chan?"

She considered, enjoying the sparkle of the fish in the light, then decided, "Off."

He turned so she could remove it for him, then took it, heading back to their bedroom.

"Don't just toss it on the bed this time, Oh-chan, put it where it goes," she called after him, and he waved back peacefully.

The doorbell buzzed.

The first guests at their very first dinner party as a couple! Shihori's hands rose to her face involuntarily, then she took a deep breath and went to open the door.

"Kei-chan, Sho-kun, come in. You found a babysitter all right?"

"Sakurai handled that," Keiko said imperiously, and Shihori squinted in confusion.

Then Sho stepped in front of Keiko and said, "My lady, allow me to help you with your shoes," and Shihori groaned.

"I told you, doing that in front of me is weird."

Keiko looked at her, eyes sparkling. "Is it, though, Shii-chan? Is it really."

Shihori laughed, not at all bothered by it, really. Sho offered his arm to his wife, and they swept forward grandly.

Ohno emerged and greeted them cheerfully, then asked Shihori hopefully if having guests meant they could turn on the hotpot now. The door buzzed again, so she just nodded at her eager pet.

This time it was Karina, who'd finally been persuaded to bring her boyfriend into the public realm. She looked lovely in a simple dress with hints of punk, and then a man stepped out from behind her and bowed pertly.

It was Nino.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Shihori stared at them, doubting her own eyes. "I see both of you constantly, and you've been dating all along?"

"My darling likes to sneak around," Nino said cheerfully, dropping a kiss on Karina's palm. She just shrugged at Shihori, not holding back a smile, and they removed their shoes and headed in for the food.

Shihori turned slowly, still stunned, and then there was a knock on the open door.

"Shii-chan," Yuriko said gaily, arm around... Erika?

"I can't take any more of this," Shihori said, blinking hard. "Since when... you two..."

"While your imagination is intriguing," Erika started dryly.

"And inspiring," Yuriko said, darting her mouth over to peck Erika's cheek.

"Yuriko-chan says that we have dates," Erika finished.

Shihori looked at Yuriko suspiciously, who just tilted her head and grinned before saying, "Oh-chan said he'd get us dates!"

"And I have been dying to see your décor," Erika said sweetly.

Shihori shut the door behind them before anything else could happen, then went to question her pet about just whom he'd invited to their dinner party without asking.

Before she even made it back to the living room, there was another buzz. She shook her head swiftly, preparing herself for anything, but she was still shocked when she opened the door to find Aiba.

"Ah, Shihori-chan," he said, coughing into his fist. "I'm sorry to just drop by, but, um..."

"Aiba-chan," she exclaimed, but surprise had her voice too loud. A moment later she heard the soft steps of her pet approaching.

"Erm, we haven't really been introduced," Aiba said to Ohno, bowing deeply.

"Nope, we haven't."

"Oh-chan," Shihori hissed, elbowing him in the side.

Aiba looked caught. "I thought this wouldn't be so bad, for some reason, I missed seeing you--not like that, not like that, um, person who isn't Shihori's cousin. Becky-chan is in the car."

"Oh," Shihori said involuntarily, lighting up at Aiba's obvious happiness. She turned a stern look on Ohno. "Oh-chan, go see to our guests, and try not to be as rude to any of them as you were to Aiba-chan."

Ohno stuck his nose in the air, though he looked slightly ashamed, then walked away.

"I should have called, I'm sorry," Aiba said penitently.

"Don't worry about it," she said warmly. "What brought you by?"

"Actually... my ring? I dropped it, well, you know, when--"

"Yes, I know, Aiba-san," Shihori managed, cheeks crimson. "I've been meaning to get it back to you, so actually..." She opened a drawer in the little desk under which she and Ohno shoved their shoes, removing the small velvet box that had been weighing on her for months. It felt good to hand it back to Aiba and not feel like either of them were going to cry about it.

"Thanks, Shihori-chan."

Shihori edged a little closer. "How are things with Becky, Aiba-chan?"

He sighed. "She's still resolute that she doesn't want to settle down for five whole years so that she can focus on her work." Then he brightened. "But now when we're both in Tokyo, she lets me see her, at least, and there are only three and a half years left!"

"She's an international interpreter, right? I've seen her name when doing research for our show a couple times."

Aiba beamed. "That's right. Becky-chan is going to take over the world!"

"I have no doubt," she replied, smiling, and then Aiba was bowing himself out of her door and rushing back down to Becky. He nearly collided with two people coming down the hall, and Shihori held the door, resigned to another surprise on its way.

"Shihori-chan, thank you for inviting me." She recognized the voice before she could get a look at his face, then laughed.

"Jun-kun, you know you are always welcome. Who's your friend?"

"PAAAAAN!"

"Maruyama-san! Well, perhaps Oh-chan won't sleep in the doghouse tonight after all, come in, both of you."

"There are ladies here to meet us?" Jun said quietly, straightening his tie and looking ever so suave.

"Paaan?" Maru said hopefully.

"Oh dear, who is less frightening," Shihori said, looking at Maru's sweet face. "I definitely need to give the less frightening person to you, Maruyama-san."

Jun stiffened, then shrugged, allowing that he wasn't easily intimidated, and Maru laughed.

"I don't mind being frightened." He leaned in and whispered, "I'm an M, you know."

"I didn't know," Shihori said faintly. "Erika-chan for you it is, then. Go on, I'm just going to lock up."

She closed the door, then leaned her head against it, overwhelmed by the sounds of so many people inside her home.

"Shihori, I went like I was told, though I didn't want to."

"Mm, have a treat," she said, turning to kiss Ohno sweetly. "Has anything spilled yet?"

"Not yet," he said slowly. "And I will sit under the kotatsu the whole time so that I won't, either."

"Such a sacrifice," she teased, hand slipping under his shirt to poke at his ribs. He smiled down at her, and she flattened her hand, sliding it around to the small of his back. Their foreheads touched as she stole a quiet moment before so much socializing, her breathing slowing down to match his. When she made to back away, he leaned in and swiped his tongue lightly along her jaw, and she laughed.

"Let's go, Oh-chan. It's been a long week at work and I'm hungry for hotpot."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: two years later ::::::::::

"I've known Becky for more than ten years now, and as soon as we met, I wanted to marry her."

"What he said, though, was, 'Mermaid-eyes, you're blocking the bathroom, and I really have to wizz.'"

Though Becky rolled those eyes, Shihori thought she'd never seen anyone so radiant, though Aiba was doing his best, both of them framed by the bright colors of the graffiti art they'd commissioned from Ohno for the ceremony.

"I may have been a little intoxicated--like many of you probably are right now!"

Ohno chuckled next to Shihori, then let out the tiniest burp, and Shihori swatted his arm.

"We'd like to dance, have some cake, then get on our way, so thus ends the toast at my first wedding," Becky said, winking prettily up at Aiba.

"Oi, Becky, you can only marry me once, you know," he retorted, smiling blindingly, and she pulled him down to lay a lingering kiss on his lips.

"'Thus ends,' she said," Ohno whispered in Shihori's ear. "So now we can go home?"

She considered this, then grinned, leaning into Ohno. "Our couch is probably lonely, Oh-chan, you're right."

"Should we say goodbye to Kei-chan and Sho-kun?" He was focused on her, but both of them smiled fondly when Aiba's joyful, hyena-like laugh carried over the music and noise of the crowd.

"Nah, we're going over for dinner Wednesday anyway."

"Plus, I'm sure you want to escape before the dancing," he said wisely, nodding to himself.

"Just for that, you're carrying me home," she said loftily, and he sprang up to offer her his arm, making a funny face.

"The head of News for Japan's most prest-presti--best news show deserves nothing less."

"And next executive producer," Shihori said, stretching her wedding-sore limbs. "It's inevitable that Takeuchi-san will run her own network someday, and there's no one better than I am."

Ohno said, eyes warm, "That is so true."

She smiled, pulling him in by the tie that he loathed, other hand coming up to press lightly on the marks she'd left on his neck the night before. "Let's go home, panda-chan. It's been a couple days since we made that curry, so it's sure to be extra delicious tonight."

He kissed her happily, sending just as many sparks down her spine as the first time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~.~:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[Epilogue Art](http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/graphics/astray_part4.jpg)


End file.
